Rowoldt v. Perfetto
355 U.S. 115 · Decided December 9, 1957 · 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
Rowoldt v. Perfetto was decided on December 9, 1957 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Internal security legislation” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 355 U.S. 115 · 78 S. Ct. 180 · 2 L. Ed. 2d 140 · 1957 U.S. LEXIS 1593
- Docket number
- 5
- Decided
- December 9, 1957
- Argued
- November 13, 1956
- Reargued
- October 14, 1957
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Internal security legislation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Smith Act, Subversive Activities Control Act, or similar legislation
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent |
Full case caption
Rowoldt v. Perfetto, Acting Officer in Charge, Immigration and Naturalization Service
SCDB identifiers: case 1957-015, docket 1957-015-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Internal security legislation”
- Yates v. United States
- Kent v. Dulles
- Dayton v. Dulles
- Cole v. Young
- Communist Party of the United States v. Subversive Activities Control Board
- Pennsylvania v. Nelson
Cases on the same legal provision: Smith Act, Subversive Activities Control Act, or similar legislation
- Bonetti v. Rogers
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Niukkanen v. McAlexander
- Kimm v. Rosenberg
- W. E. B. Dubois Clubs of America v. Clark
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Barr v. Matteo
- Staub v. City of BaxleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Sacher v. United States
- Kent v. Dulles
- Dayton v. Dulles
- Beilan v. Board of Public Education
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