Winters v. New York
333 U.S. 507 · Decided March 29, 1948 · 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
Winters v. New York was decided on March 29, 1948 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Stanley F. Reed wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 333 U.S. 507 · 68 S. Ct. 665 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 840 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 2371
- Docket number
- 3
- Decided
- March 29, 1948
- Argued
- March 27, 1946
- Reargued
- November 10, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Stanley F. Reed
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Winters v. New York
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-059, docket 1947-059-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Saia v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Petrillo
- Craig v. Harney
- Giboney v. Empire Storage & Ice Co.
- Oklahoma v. United States Civil Service Commission
- Terminiello v. ChicagoLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Donaldson v. Read Magazine, Inc.
- Lincoln Federal Labor Union v. Northwestern Iron & Metal Co.Altered precedent
- American Federation of Labor v. American Sash & Door Co.
- Kovacs v. Cooper
- Hughes v. Superior Court of California for Contra Costa County
- Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Cox v. United States
- Donaldson v. Read Magazine, Inc.
- Illinois ex Rel. McCollum v. Board of Education of School District No. 71
- Saia v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
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