Watts v. Seward School Board
391 U.S. 592 · Decided June 3, 1968 · 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
Watts v. Seward School Board was decided on June 3, 1968 by a vote of 8–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Libel and defamation” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 391 U.S. 592 · 88 S. Ct. 1753 · 20 L. Ed. 2d 842 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 1473
- Docket number
- 325
- Decided
- June 3, 1968
- Argued
- March 26, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Libel and defamation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Watts et al. v. Seward School Board et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-153, docket 1967-153-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Pickering v. Board of Education of Township High School District 205
- St. Amant v. Thompson
- Beckley Newspapers Corp. v. Hanks
- Associated Press v. Walker
- Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts
- Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Assn., Inc. v. Bresler
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Associated Press v. Walker
- Potomac News Co. v. United States
- Conner v. City of Hammond
- Central Magazine Sales, Ltd. v. United States
- Beckley Newspapers Corp. v. Hanks
- Chance v. California
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