Hughes v. Superior Court of California for Contra Costa County
339 U.S. 460 · Decided May 8, 1950 · 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
Hughes v. Superior Court of California for Contra Costa County was decided on May 8, 1950 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Protest demonstrations” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 339 U.S. 460 · 70 S. Ct. 718 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 985 · 1950 U.S. LEXIS 2561
- Docket number
- 61
- Decided
- May 8, 1950
- Argued
- November 8, 1949
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Stanley F. Reed
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Protest demonstrations
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Special concurrence | Co-authored an opinion |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
Hughes et al. v. Superior Court of California for Contra Costa County
SCDB identifiers: case 1949-072, docket 1949-072-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Protest demonstrations”
- Kovacs v. Cooper
- Edwards v. South Carolina
- Fields v. South Carolina
- Fields v. City of Fairfield.
- Henry v. City of Rock Hill
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Etc. Union v. Hanke
- Building Service Employees International Union v. Gazzam
- Cole v. Arkansas
- Feiner v. New York
- Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore
- Terminiello v. ChicagoLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Cole v. Arkansas
- United States ex Rel. Knauff v. Shaughnessy
- United States v. Alpers
- American Communications Assn., C. I. O. v. Douds
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Etc. Union v. Hanke
- Building Service Employees International Union v. Gazzam
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