McDonald v. Smith
472 U.S. 479 · Decided June 19, 1985 · 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
McDonald v. Smith was decided on June 19, 1985 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger 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
- 472 U.S. 479 · 105 S. Ct. 2787 · 86 L. Ed. 2d 384 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 112
- Docket number
- 84-476
- Decided
- June 19, 1985
- Argued
- March 20, 1985
- Court era
- Burger 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
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Libel and defamation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (petition clause)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
McDonald v. Smith
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-130, docket 1984-130-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. v. Greenmoss Builders, Inc.
- Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. HeppsLaw held unconstitutional
- Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.
- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.
- Hustler Magazine and Larry C. Flynt v. Jerry Falwell
- Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc. v. Connaughton
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (petition clause)
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Federal Election Commission v. National Conservative Political Action CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Wayte v. United States
- Board of Education of Oklahoma City v. National Gay Task ForceLaw held unconstitutional
- Board of Trustees of the Village of Scarsdale v. Kathleen S. McCreary
- Wallace v. JaffreeLaw held unconstitutional
- Jensen v. QuaringLaw held unconstitutional
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