United States v. Michael Williams
553 U.S. 285 · Decided May 19, 2008 · 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 v. Michael Williams was decided on May 19, 2008 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, federal” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 553 U.S. 285 · 128 S. Ct. 1830 · 170 L. Ed. 2d 650 · 2008 U.S. LEXIS 4314
- Docket number
- 06-694
- Decided
- May 19, 2008
- Argued
- October 30, 2007
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, federal
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Michael Williams
SCDB identifiers: case 2007-038, docket 2007-038-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, federal”
- John D. Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
- United States v. American Library Association, Inc.
- John Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
- John D. Ashcroft v. the Free Speech CoalitionLaw held unconstitutional
- Lockhart v. United States
- Janet Reno v. American Civil Liberties UnionLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Daniel B. Locke v. Edward A. Karass
- Ben Ysursa v. Pocatello Education Association
- Pleasant Grove City v. Summum
- Deborah Morse v. Joseph Frederick
- Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association v. Brentwood Academy
- Gary Davenport v. Washington Education Association
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- New York State Board of Elections v. Margarita Lopez Torres
- Davis v. FECLaw held unconstitutional
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