New York Times Co. v. Sullivan
376 U.S. 254 · Decided March 9, 1964 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan was decided on March 9, 1964 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Libel and defamation” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 376 U.S. 254 · 84 S. Ct. 710 · 11 L. Ed. 2d 686 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 1655
- Docket number
- 39
- Decided
- March 9, 1964
- Argued
- January 6, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- 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
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- 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 Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-067, docket 1963-067-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Garrison v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Henry v. Collins
- Rosenblatt v. Baer
- Ashton v. Kentucky
- Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts
- Associated Press v. Walker
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Jacobellis v. Ohio
- A Quantity of Copies of Books v. KansasLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. Louisiana
- Freedman v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- Edwards v. South Carolina
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Fields v. City of Fairfield.
- Greene v. United States
- Kreznar v. United States.
- Rabinowitz v. Kennedy
- Henry v. City of Rock Hill
- Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Virginia ex Rel. Virginia State Bar
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