Watts v. United States
394 U.S. 705 · Decided April 21, 1969 · 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. United States was decided on April 21, 1969 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed 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 “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 394 U.S. 705 · 89 S. Ct. 1399 · 22 L. Ed. 2d 664 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 1871
- Docket number
- 1107 M
- Decided
- April 21, 1969
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 871
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Jurisdictional dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Jurisdictional dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
Watts v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1968-084, docket 1968-084-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
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- Brandenburg v. OhioAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
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Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C. § 871
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Epperson v. ArkansasLaw held unconstitutional
- Carroll v. President and Commissioners of Princess Anne
- Clark v. Gabriel
- Presbyterian Church in the United States v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Memorial Presbyterian Church
- Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
- Gregory v. City of Chicago
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