Terminiello v. Chicago
337 U.S. 1 · Decided May 16, 1949 · 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
Terminiello v. Chicago was decided on May 16, 1949 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas 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 municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 337 U.S. 1 · 69 S. Ct. 894 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 1131 · 1949 U.S. LEXIS 2400
- Docket number
- 272
- Decided
- May 16, 1949
- Argued
- February 1, 1949
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- 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 municipal or other local ordinance
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Terminiello v. Chicago
SCDB identifiers: case 1948-074, docket 1948-074-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Giboney v. Empire Storage & Ice Co.
- Cole v. Arkansas
- Saia v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Etc. Union v. Hanke
- Building Service Employees International Union v. Gazzam
- Winters v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Kovacs v. Cooper
- Lincoln Federal Labor Union v. Northwestern Iron & Metal Co.Altered precedent
- American Federation of Labor v. American Sash & Door Co.
- Hughes v. Superior Court of California for Contra Costa County
- Donaldson v. Read Magazine, Inc.
- Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
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