Rowan v. United States Post Office Department

397 U.S. 728 · Decided May 4, 1970 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Rowan v. United States Post Office Department was decided on May 4, 1970 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. 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

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Rowan, Dba American Book Service, et al. v. United States Post Office Department et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1969-088, docket 1969-088-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “Obscenity, federal”

• Blount v. RizziLaw held unconstitutional
  400 U.S. 410Decided January 14, 19719–0William J. Brennan Jr.
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  402 U.S. 351Decided May 3, 19717–2Byron R. White
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  402 U.S. 363Decided May 3, 19716–3Byron R. White
• Central Magazine Sales, Ltd. v. United States
  389 U.S. 50Decided October 23, 19677–1Per curiam
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  388 U.S. 447Decided June 12, 19676–3Per curiam
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Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)

• Bachellar v. Maryland
  397 U.S. 564Decided April 20, 19708–0William J. Brennan Jr.
• Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Assn., Inc. v. Bresler
  398 U.S. 6Decided May 18, 19708–0Potter Stewart
• Bloss v. Dykema
  398 U.S. 278Decided June 1, 19704–3Per curiam
• Cain v. Kentucky
  397 U.S. 319Decided March 23, 19706–2Per curiam
• Walker v. Ohio
  398 U.S. 434Decided June 15, 19705–2Per curiam
• Hoyt v. Minnesota
  399 U.S. 524Decided June 29, 19706–3Per curiam

Same Term, same area (First Amendment)

• Bryson v. United States
  396 U.S. 64Decided December 8, 19696–2John M. Harlan II
• Carlos v. New York
  396 U.S. 119Decided December 8, 19696–2Per curiam
• Cowgill v. California
  396 U.S. 371Decided January 19, 19707–1Per curiam
• Jones v. State Board of Education of Tennessee
  397 U.S. 31Decided February 24, 19706–2Per curiam
• Cole v. Richardson
  397 U.S. 238Decided March 16, 19707–1Per curiam
• Cain v. Kentucky
  397 U.S. 319Decided March 23, 19706–2Per curiam

See all

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