St. Amant v. Thompson
390 U.S. 727 · Decided April 29, 1968 · 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
St. Amant v. Thompson was decided on April 29, 1968 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Libel and defamation” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 390 U.S. 727 · 88 S. Ct. 1323 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 262 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 3004
- Docket number
- 517
- Decided
- April 29, 1968
- Argued
- April 4, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Libel and defamation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Co-authored an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
St. Amant v. Thompson
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-109, docket 1967-109-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Pickering v. Board of Education of Township High School District 205
- Watts v. Seward School Board
- Beckley Newspapers Corp. v. Hanks
- Associated Press v. Walker
- Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts
- Ashton v. Kentucky
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Cameron v. Johnson
- Ginsberg v. New York
- Interstate Circuit, Inc. v. City of DallasLaw held unconstitutional
- Amalgamated Food Employees Union Local 590 v. Logan Valley Plaza, Inc.
- Rabeck v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Lee Art Theatre, Inc. v. Virginia
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Associated Press v. Walker
- Potomac News Co. v. United States
- Conner v. City of Hammond
- Central Magazine Sales, Ltd. v. United States
- Beckley Newspapers Corp. v. Hanks
- Chance v. California
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