United States v. Southwestern Cable Co.
392 U.S. 157 · Decided June 10, 1968 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States v. Southwestern Cable Co. was decided on June 10, 1968 unanimously (7–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John M. Harlan II wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Cable television regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 392 U.S. 157 · 88 S. Ct. 1994 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 1001 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 3148
- Docket number
- 363
- Decided
- June 10, 1968
- Argued
- March 12, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Cable television regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Communications Act of 1934
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas, Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
United States et al. v. Southwestern Cable Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-161, docket 1967-161-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Cable television regulation”
- United States v. Midwest Video Corp.
- Federal Communications Commission v. Midwest Video Corporation
- Federal Communications Commission and United States v. Beach Communications, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: Communications Act of 1934
- Lee v. FloridaAltered precedent
- Fuller v. Alaska
- Federal Communications Commission v. Schreiber
- Pugach v. Dollinger
- Farmers Educational & Cooperative Union of America v. Wday, Inc.
- United States v. Radio Corporation of America
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Wyandotte Transportation Co. v. United States
- United States v. Penn-Olin Chemical Co.
- Burke v. Ford
- Tcherepnin v. Knight
- Case-Swayne Co., Inc. v. Sunkist Growers, Inc.
- City of Pottsville v. United States
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