Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.
418 U.S. 323 · Decided June 25, 1974 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. was decided on June 25, 1974 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Libel and defamation” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 418 U.S. 323 · 94 S. Ct. 2997 · 41 L. Ed. 2d 789 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 88
- Docket number
- 72-617
- Decided
- June 25, 1974
- Argued
- November 14, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Libel and defamation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-162, docket 1973-162-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Old Dominion Branch No. 496 v. Austin
- Time, Inc. v. Firestone
- Rosenbloom v. Metromedia, Inc.
- Monitor Patriot Co. v. Roy
- Time, Inc. v. Pape
- Ocala Star-Banner Co. v. Damron
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. TornilloLaw held unconstitutional
- Lehman v. City of Shaker Heights
- Spence v. WashingtonLaw held unconstitutional
- Pell v. Procunier
- Saxbe v. Washington Post Co.
- Hamling v. United States
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Plummer v. City of ColumbusLaw held unconstitutional
- Norwell v. City of Cincinnati
- Musser v. United States
- Hess v. Indiana
- Communist Party of Indiana v. WhitcombLaw held unconstitutional
- Lewis v. City of New OrleansLaw 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