Simon & Schuster, Inc. v. Members of the New York State Crime Victims Board
502 U.S. 105 · Decided December 10, 1991 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Simon & Schuster, Inc. v. Members of the New York State Crime Victims Board was decided on December 10, 1991 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 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 state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 502 U.S. 105 · 112 S. Ct. 501 · 116 L. Ed. 2d 476 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 7172
- Docket number
- 90-1059
- Decided
- December 10, 1991
- Argued
- October 15, 1991
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority |
Did not participate: Clarence Thomas.
Full case caption
Simon & Schuster, Inc. v. Members of the New York State Crime Victims Board, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1991-011, docket 1991-011-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- David Dawson v. Delaware
- Dominic P. Gentile v. State Bar of NevadaLaw held unconstitutional
- Charles W. Burson v. Mary Rebecca Freeman
- Cohen v. Cowles Media Co.
- Forsyth County v. the Nationalist MovementLaw held unconstitutional
- International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. v. Walter Lee
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Michael Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc.
- Jeffrey M. Masson v. New Yorker Magazine, Inc.
- James P. Lehnert v. Ferris Faculty Association
- Rav v. City of St. PaulLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Cincinnati v. Discovery Network, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Fred H. Edenfield v. Scott FaneLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- David Dawson v. Delaware
- Charles W. Burson v. Mary Rebecca Freeman
- Forsyth County v. the Nationalist MovementLaw held unconstitutional
- Rav v. City of St. PaulLaw held unconstitutional
- Robert E. Lee v. Daniel Weisman Etc.Law held unconstitutional
- International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc. v. Walter Lee
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