Pinkus v. United States
436 U.S. 293 · Decided May 23, 1978 · 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
Pinkus v. United States was decided on May 23, 1978 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, federal” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 436 U.S. 293 · 98 S. Ct. 1808 · 56 L. Ed. 2d 293 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 92
- Docket number
- 77-39
- Decided
- May 23, 1978
- Argued
- February 28, 1978
- 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, federal
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Pinkus, Dba Rosslyn News Co. et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-087, docket 1977-087-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, federal”
- Smith v. United States
- Marks v. United States
- Hamling v. United States
- United States v. 12 200-ft. Reels of Super 8mm. Film (Paladini
- United States v. Orito
- United States v. Reidel
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Ohralik v. Ohio State Bar Assn.
- Landmark Communications, Inc. v. VirginiaLaw held unconstitutional
- First National Bank of Boston v. BellottiLaw held unconstitutional
- Houchins v. Kqed, Inc.
- Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation
- Givhan v. Western Line Consolidated School District
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- New York v. Cathedral AcademyLaw held unconstitutional
- McDaniel v. PatyLaw held unconstitutional
- First National Bank of Boston v. BellottiLaw held unconstitutional
- Landmark Communications, Inc. v. VirginiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Houchins v. Kqed, Inc.
- Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation
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