Sweezy v. New Hampshire
354 U.S. 234 · Decided June 17, 1957 · 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
Sweezy v. New Hampshire was decided on June 17, 1957 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion announcing the judgment 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
- 354 U.S. 234 · 77 S. Ct. 1203 · 1 L. Ed. 2d 1311 · 1957 U.S. LEXIS 655
- Docket number
- 175
- Decided
- June 17, 1957
- Argued
- March 5, 1957
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Legislative investigations on internal security
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority |
Did not participate: Charles E. Whittaker.
Full case caption
Sweezy v. New Hampshire, by Wyman, Attorney General
SCDB identifiers: case 1956-109, docket 1956-109-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Legislative investigations on internal security”
- Watkins v. United States
- Sacher v. United States
- Flaxer v. United States
- Scull v. Virginia ex Rel. Committee on Law Reform and Racial Activities
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Barenblatt v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Chessman v. Teets
- Schware v. Board of Bar Examiners of New Mexico
- Alcorta v. Texas
- Fikes v. Alabama
- McGee v. International Life Insurance Co.
- Lambert v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Butler v. MichiganLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. International Union United Automobile
- Watkins v. United States
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. Vogt, Inc.
- Yates v. United States
- Service v. Dulles
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