Vitarelli v. Seaton
359 U.S. 535 · Decided June 1, 1959 · 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
Vitarelli v. Seaton was decided on June 1, 1959 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John M. Harlan II wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Security risk dismissals or benefit denials” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 359 U.S. 535 · 79 S. Ct. 968 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 1012 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 899
- Docket number
- 101
- Decided
- June 1, 1959
- Argued
- April 1, 1959
- Court era
- Warren 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
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Security risk dismissals or benefit denials
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Executive order
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent |
Full case caption
Vitarelli v. Seaton, Secretary of the Interior, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-094, docket 1958-094-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Security risk dismissals or benefit denials”
- Greene v. McElroy
- Taylor v. McElroy
- Nelson v. County of Los Angeles
- Beilan v. Board of Public Education
- Lerner v. Casey
- Flemming v. Nestor
Cases on the same legal provision: Executive order
- Udall v. Tallman
- Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer
- United States v. Allied Oil Corp.
- Confederated Bands of Ute Indians v. United States
- Dwight J. Loving v. United States
- Idaho v. United States
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Flaxer v. United States
- Scull v. Virginia ex Rel. Committee on Law Reform and Racial Activities
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Barenblatt v. United States
- Raley v. Ohio
- Greene v. McElroy
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