Pennsylvania v. Nelson
350 U.S. 497 · Decided April 2, 1956 · 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
Pennsylvania v. Nelson was decided on April 2, 1956 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Internal security legislation” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 350 U.S. 497 · 76 S. Ct. 477 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 640 · 1956 U.S. LEXIS 1730
- Docket number
- 10
- Decided
- April 2, 1956
- Argued
- November 15, 1955
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Internal security legislation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Smith Act, Subversive Activities Control Act, or similar legislation
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority |
Full case caption
Pennsylvania v. Nelson
SCDB identifiers: case 1955-049, docket 1955-049-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Internal security legislation”
- Communist Party of the United States v. Subversive Activities Control Board
- Cole v. Young
- Yates v. United States
- Rowoldt v. Perfetto
- Kent v. Dulles
- Dayton v. Dulles
Cases on the same legal provision: Smith Act, Subversive Activities Control Act, or similar legislation
- Bonetti v. Rogers
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Niukkanen v. McAlexander
- Kimm v. Rosenberg
- W. E. B. Dubois Clubs of America v. Clark
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Slochower v. Board of Higher Education of New York CityLaw held unconstitutional
- Communist Party of the United States v. Subversive Activities Control Board
- Johnston v. United States
- Cole v. Young
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