Watkins v. United States
354 U.S. 178 · Decided June 17, 1957 · 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
Watkins v. United States was decided on June 17, 1957 by a vote of 6–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Legislative investigations on internal security” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 354 U.S. 178 · 77 S. Ct. 1173 · 1 L. Ed. 2d 1273 · 1957 U.S. LEXIS 1558
- Docket number
- 261
- Decided
- June 17, 1957
- Argued
- March 7, 1957
- 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
- 6–1
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Legislative investigations on internal security
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority |
Did not participate: Harold H. Burton, Charles E. Whittaker.
Full case caption
Watkins v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1956-108, docket 1956-108-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Legislative investigations on internal security”
- Sweezy v. New Hampshire
- Sacher v. United States
- Flaxer v. United States
- Scull v. Virginia ex Rel. Committee on Law Reform and Racial Activities
- Uphaus v. Wyman
- Barenblatt v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Cafeteria & Restaurant Workers Union v. McElroy
- Shaughnessy v. United States ex Rel. Mezei
- Hutcheson v. United States
- Dennis v. United States
- Jordan v. de George
- Johnson v. Eisentrager
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Butler v. MichiganLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. International Union United Automobile
- Sweezy v. New Hampshire
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. Vogt, Inc.
- Yates v. United States
- Service v. Dulles
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