Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Assn., Inc. v. Bresler
398 U.S. 6 · Decided May 18, 1970 · 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
Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Assn., Inc. v. Bresler was decided on May 18, 1970 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart 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
- 398 U.S. 6 · 90 S. Ct. 1537 · 26 L. Ed. 2d 6 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 42
- Docket number
- 413
- Decided
- May 18, 1970
- Argued
- February 24, 1970
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- 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)
- 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 | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority |
Full case caption
Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Assn., Inc., et al. v. Bresler
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-094, docket 1969-094-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Monitor Patriot Co. v. Roy
- Time, Inc. v. Pape
- Ocala Star-Banner Co. v. Damron
- Rosenbloom v. Metromedia, Inc.
- Pickering v. Board of Education of Township High School District 205
- Watts v. Seward School Board
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Rowan v. United States Post Office Department
- Bloss v. Dykema
- Bachellar v. Maryland
- Walker v. Ohio
- Hoyt v. Minnesota
- Cain v. Kentucky
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Bryson v. United States
- Carlos v. New York
- Cowgill v. California
- Jones v. State Board of Education of Tennessee
- Cole v. Richardson
- Cain v. Kentucky
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