Superior Films, Inc. v. Department of Education of Ohio
346 U.S. 587 · Decided January 18, 1954 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Superior Films, Inc. v. Department of Education of Ohio was decided on January 18, 1954 unanimously (9–0). 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 “Obscenity, state” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 346 U.S. 587 · 74 S. Ct. 286 · 98 L. Ed. 2d 329 · 1954 U.S. LEXIS 2505
- Docket number
- 217
- Decided
- January 18, 1954
- Argued
- January 6, 1954
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, state
- 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 | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority |
Full case caption
Superior Films, Inc. v. Department of Education of Ohio, Division of Film Censorship, Hissong, Superintendent
SCDB identifiers: case 1953-027, docket 1953-027-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, state”
- Butler v. MichiganLaw held unconstitutional
- Kingsley Books, Inc. v. Brown
- Kingsley International Pictures Corp. v. Regents of the University of the State of New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Smith v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Bantam Books, Inc. v. Sullivan
- Jacobellis v. Ohio
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Local Union No. 10 v. Graham
- Wieman v. UpdegraffLaw held unconstitutional
- Public Utilities Commission of the District of Columbia v. Pollak
- Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. WilsonAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Beauharnais v. Illinois
- Adler v. Board of Education of the City of New York
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Dickinson v. United States
- Linehan v. Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor
- Barsky v. Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York
- United States v. Harriss
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