Garrison v. Louisiana
379 U.S. 64 · Decided November 23, 1964 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Garrison v. Louisiana was decided on November 23, 1964 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Libel and defamation” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 379 U.S. 64 · 85 S. Ct. 209 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 125 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 150
- Docket number
- 4
- Decided
- November 23, 1964
- Argued
- April 22, 1964
- Reargued
- October 19, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Libel and defamation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Garrison v. Louisiana
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-007, docket 1964-007-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Henry v. Collins
- New York Times Co. v. SullivanLaw held unconstitutional
- Rosenblatt v. Baer
- Ashton v. Kentucky
- Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts
- Associated Press v. Walker
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. Louisiana
- Freedman v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- Jacobellis v. Ohio
- A Quantity of Copies of Books v. KansasLaw held unconstitutional
- A Book Named 'john Cleland's Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure' v. Attorney General of Massachusetts
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. Louisiana
- Freedman v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Seeger
- Henry v. Collins
- Dombrowski v. PfisterLaw held unconstitutional
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error