United States Department of State v. Washington Post Co.
456 U.S. 595 · Decided May 17, 1982 · 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
United States Department of State v. Washington Post Co. was decided on May 17, 1982 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Freedom of Information Act and related laws” in the Privacy area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 456 U.S. 595 · 102 S. Ct. 1957 · 72 L. Ed. 2d 358 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 106
- Docket number
- 81-535
- Decided
- May 17, 1982
- Argued
- March 31, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Freedom of Information Act and related laws
- Issue area
- Privacy
- Legal provision
- Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
United States Department of State et al. v. Washington Post Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-093, docket 1981-093-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Freedom of Information Act and related laws”
- Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Abramson
- Baldrige v. Shapiro
- Weinberger v. Catholic Action of Hawaii/peace Education Project
- Federal Trade Commission v. Grolier Inc.
- Upjohn Co. v. United States
- United States v. Weber Aircraft Corp.
Cases on the same legal provision: Freedom of Information, Sunshine, or Privacy Act
Same Term, same area (Privacy)
- Weinberger v. Catholic Action of Hawaii/peace Education Project
- Baldrige v. Shapiro
- Federal Bureau of Investigation v. Abramson
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