Nixon v. Administrator of General Services
433 U.S. 425 · Decided June 28, 1977 · 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
Nixon v. Administrator of General Services was decided on June 28, 1977 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Libel and privacy (false light)” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 433 U.S. 425 · 97 S. Ct. 2777 · 53 L. Ed. 2d 867 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 24
- Docket number
- 75-1605
- Decided
- June 28, 1977
- Argued
- April 20, 1977
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Libel and privacy (false light)
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 44 U.S.C. § 2107
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Nixon v. Administrator of General Services et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-176, docket 1976-176-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and privacy (false light)”
- Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.
- Cox Broadcasting Corp. v. CohnLaw held unconstitutional
- Cantrell v. Forest City Publishing Co.
- Time, Inc. v. Hill
- The Florida Star v. B. J. F.Law held unconstitutional
- Bartnicki v. VopperLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: 44 U.S.C. § 2107
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Parker Seal Co. v. Cummins
- City of Madison Joint School District No. 8 v. Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission
- Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle
- Marks v. United States
- Oklahoma Publishing Co. v. District Court in and for Oklahoma County
- Wooley v. Maynard et Ux.Law 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