Silber v. United States
370 U.S. 717 · Decided June 25, 1962 · 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
Silber v. United States was decided on June 25, 1962 by a vote of 5–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned 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
- 370 U.S. 717 · 82 S. Ct. 1287 · 8 L. Ed. 2d 798 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 853
- Docket number
- 454
- Decided
- June 25, 1962
- Argued
- April 19, 1962
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Legislative investigations on internal security
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Supreme Court Rules
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Did not participate: Felix Frankfurter, Byron R. White.
Full case caption
Silber v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-117, docket 1961-117-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Legislative investigations on internal security”
- Hartman v. United States
- Grumman v. United States
- Russell v. United States
- Wheeldin v. Wheeler
- Yellin v. United States
- Deutch v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Supreme Court Rules
- United States v. Healy
- Miner v. Atlass
- Pittsburgh Towing Co. v. Mississippi Valley Barge Line Co.
- United States v. Ohio Power Co.
- Cahill v. New York
- Utah Public Service Commission v. El Paso Natural Gas Co.
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Killian v. United States
- Cramp v. Board of Public Instruction of Orange CountyLaw held unconstitutional
- Nostrand v. Little
- Russell v. United States
- Grumman v. United States
- Wood v. Georgia
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