Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court of California
464 U.S. 501 · Decided January 18, 1984 · 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
Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court of California was decided on January 18, 1984 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated 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 “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 464 U.S. 501 · 104 S. Ct. 819 · 78 L. Ed. 2d 629 · 1984 U.S. LEXIS 20
- Docket number
- 82-556
- Decided
- January 18, 1984
- Argued
- October 12, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- 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. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court of California, Riverside County
SCDB identifiers: case 1983-023, docket 1983-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Minnesota State Board for Community Colleges v. Knight
- Members of the City Council of the City of Los Angeles v. Taxpayers for Vincent
- Seattle Times Co. v. Rhinehart
- Secretary of State of Maryland v. Joseph H. Munson Co., Inc.Law held unconstitutional
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Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.
- Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence
- Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Federal Election Commission v. National Conservative Political Action CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Wayte v. United States
- Zauderer v. Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the Supreme Court of OhioLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Minnesota State Board for Community Colleges v. Knight
- Lynch v. Donnelly
- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.
- Members of the City Council of the City of Los Angeles v. Taxpayers for Vincent
- Seattle Times Co. v. Rhinehart
- Secretary of State of Maryland v. Joseph H. Munson Co., Inc.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