Manual Enterprises, Inc. v. Day
370 U.S. 478 · Decided June 25, 1962 · 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
Manual Enterprises, Inc. v. Day was decided on June 25, 1962 by a vote of 6–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John M. Harlan II wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, federal” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 370 U.S. 478 · 82 S. Ct. 1432 · 8 L. Ed. 2d 639 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 2163
- Docket number
- 123
- Decided
- June 25, 1962
- Argued
- February 26, 1962
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–1
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, federal
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 1461
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Did not participate: Felix Frankfurter, Byron R. White.
Full case caption
Manual Enterprises, Inc., et al. v. Day, Postmaster General
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-108, docket 1961-108-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, federal”
- Ginzburg v. United States
- Redmond et Ux. v. United States
- Aday v. United States
- Books, Inc. v. United States
- Roth v. United States
- Central Magazine Sales, Ltd. v. United States
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Killian v. United States
- Cramp v. Board of Public Instruction of Orange CountyLaw held unconstitutional
- Nostrand v. Little
- Russell v. United States
- Grumman v. United States
- Wood v. Georgia
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