Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court for the County of Norfolk
457 U.S. 596 · Decided June 23, 1982 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court for the County of Norfolk was decided on June 23, 1982 by a vote of 6–3. 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 “First Amendment, miscellaneous” 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
- 457 U.S. 596 · 102 S. Ct. 2613 · 73 L. Ed. 2d 248 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 137
- Docket number
- 81-611
- Decided
- June 23, 1982
- Argued
- March 29, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- 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 William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court for the County of Norfolk
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-135, docket 1981-135-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Board of Education v. Pico
- Brown v. HartlageLaw held unconstitutional
- Village of Hoffman Estates v. the Flipside
- Perry Education Association v. Perry Local Educators' Association
- Minneapolis Star & Tribune Co. v. Minnesota Commissioner of RevenueLaw held unconstitutional
- Connick v. Myers
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Clements v. Fashing
- New York v. Ferber
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Claiborne Hardware Co.
- In re R. M. J.Law held unconstitutional
- Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- California ex Rel. Cooper v. Mitchell Brothers' Santa Ana Theater
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Federal Election Commission v. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- California ex Rel. Cooper v. Mitchell Brothers' Santa Ana Theater
- Widmar v. Vincent
- Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing v. City of BerkeleyLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Lee
- Village of Hoffman Estates v. the Flipside
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