Saia v. New York

334 U.S. 558 · Decided June 7, 1948 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Saia v. New York was decided on June 7, 1948 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.

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

Saia v. New York

SCDB identifiers: case 1947-098, docket 1947-098-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”

• Winters v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
  333 U.S. 507Decided March 29, 19486–3Stanley F. Reed
• Giboney v. Empire Storage & Ice Co.
  336 U.S. 490Decided April 4, 19499–0Hugo L. Black
• Terminiello v. ChicagoLaw held unconstitutional
  337 U.S. 1Decided May 16, 19495–4William O. Douglas
• United States v. Petrillo
  332 U.S. 1Decided June 23, 19475–3Hugo L. Black
• Craig v. Harney
  331 U.S. 367Decided May 19, 19476–3William O. Douglas
• Oklahoma v. United States Civil Service Commission
  330 U.S. 127Decided February 10, 19475–2Stanley F. Reed

See all

Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)

• Donaldson v. Read Magazine, Inc.
  333 U.S. 178Decided March 8, 19487–2Hugo L. Black
• Lincoln Federal Labor Union v. Northwestern Iron & Metal Co.Altered precedent
  335 U.S. 525Decided January 3, 19499–0Hugo L. Black
• American Federation of Labor v. American Sash & Door Co.
  335 U.S. 538Decided January 3, 19498–1Hugo L. Black
• Kovacs v. Cooper
  336 U.S. 77Decided January 31, 19495–4Stanley F. Reed
• Hughes v. Superior Court of California for Contra Costa County
  339 U.S. 460Decided May 8, 19508–0Felix Frankfurter
• Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore
  341 U.S. 56Decided April 12, 19519–0Per curiam

Same Term, same area (First Amendment)

• Cox v. United States
  332 U.S. 442Decided November 24, 19475–4Stanley F. Reed
• Donaldson v. Read Magazine, Inc.
  333 U.S. 178Decided March 8, 19487–2Hugo L. Black
• Illinois ex Rel. McCollum v. Board of Education of School District No. 71
  333 U.S. 203Decided March 8, 19488–1Hugo L. Black
• Winters v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
  333 U.S. 507Decided March 29, 19486–3Stanley F. Reed

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