Ocala Star-Banner Co. v. Damron
401 U.S. 295 · Decided February 24, 1971 · 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
Ocala Star-Banner Co. v. Damron was decided on February 24, 1971 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart 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
- 401 U.S. 295 · 91 S. Ct. 628 · 28 L. Ed. 2d 57 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 79
- Docket number
- 118
- Decided
- February 24, 1971
- Argued
- December 17, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- 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
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Full case caption
Ocala Star-Banner Co. et al. v. Damron
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-049, docket 1970-049-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Monitor Patriot Co. v. Roy
- Time, Inc. v. Pape
- Rosenbloom v. Metromedia, Inc.
- Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Assn., Inc. v. Bresler
- Pickering v. Board of Education of Township High School District 205
- Watts v. Seward School Board
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, Inc. v. Wadmond
- United States v. Reidel
- United States v. Thirty-Seven (37) Photographs (Luros
- Organization for a Better Austin v. Keefe
- Cohen v. California
- New York Times Co. v. United States
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Blount v. RizziLaw held unconstitutional
- Baird v. State Bar of Arizona
- In re Stolar
- Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, Inc. v. Wadmond
- United States v. Weller
- Monitor Patriot Co. v. Roy
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