Potomac News Co. v. United States
389 U.S. 47 · Decided October 23, 1967 · 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
Potomac News Co. v. United States was decided on October 23, 1967 by a vote of 7–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, state” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 389 U.S. 47 · 88 S. Ct. 233 · 19 L. Ed. 2d 46 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 441
- Docket number
- 164
- Decided
- October 23, 1967
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, state
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Potomac News Co. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-011, docket 1967-011-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, state”
- Conner v. City of Hammond
- Chance v. California
- I.M. Amusement Corp. v. Ohio.
- Robert-Arthur Management Corp. v. Tennessee ex Rel. Canale
- Keney v. New York
- Friedman v. New York
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Associated Press v. Walker
- Conner v. City of Hammond
- Central Magazine Sales, Ltd. v. United States
- Beckley Newspapers Corp. v. Hanks
- Chance v. California
- Whitehill v. ElkinsLaw 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