Kissinger v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
445 U.S. 136 · Decided March 3, 1980 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Kissinger v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press was decided on March 3, 1980 by a vote of 5–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Freedom of Information Act and related laws” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 445 U.S. 136 · 100 S. Ct. 960 · 63 L. Ed. 2d 267 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 19
- Docket number
- 78-1088
- Decided
- March 3, 1980
- Argued
- October 31, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–2
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Freedom of Information Act and related laws
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall, Harry A. Blackmun.
Full case caption
Kissinger v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-049, docket 1979-049-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Freedom of Information Act and related laws”
- Forsham v. Harris
- GTE Sylvania, Inc. v. Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
- Consumer Product Safety Commission v. GTE Sylvania, Inc.
- Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve System v. Merrill
- Upjohn Co. v. United States
- Chrysler Corp. v. Brown
Cases on the same legal provision: Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy Act
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- Forsham v. Harris
- GTE Sylvania, Inc. v. Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
- Consumer Product Safety Commission v. GTE Sylvania, Inc.
- Harris v. McRae
- Williams v. Zbaraz
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