Raley v. Ohio
360 U.S. 423 · Decided June 22, 1959 · 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
Raley v. Ohio was decided on June 22, 1959 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Legislative investigations on internal security” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 360 U.S. 423 · 79 S. Ct. 1257 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 1344 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 754
- Docket number
- 175
- Decided
- June 22, 1959
- Argued
- April 22, 1959
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Legislative investigations on internal security
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1257
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Concurrence |
Did not participate: Potter Stewart.
Full case caption
Raley et al. v. Ohio
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-124, docket 1958-124-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Legislative investigations on internal security”
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Barenblatt v. United States
- Scull v. Virginia ex Rel. Committee on Law Reform and Racial Activities
- Flaxer v. United States
- Sacher v. United States
- McPhaul v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1257
- Burns v. Ohio
- Anonymous Nos. 6 and 7 v. Baker
- Rohr Aircraft Corp. v. County of San DiegoLaw held unconstitutional
- Marcus v. Search Warrant of Property at 104 East Tenth StreetLaw held unconstitutional
- Lathrop v. Donohue
- In re Groban
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Flaxer v. United States
- Scull v. Virginia ex Rel. Committee on Law Reform and Racial Activities
- Vitarelli v. Seaton
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Barenblatt v. United States
- Greene v. McElroy
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