Wolston v. Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
443 U.S. 157 · Decided June 26, 1979 · 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
Wolston v. Reader's Digest Association, Inc. was decided on June 26, 1979 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Libel and defamation” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 443 U.S. 157 · 99 S. Ct. 2701 · 61 L. Ed. 2d 450 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 142
- Docket number
- 78-5414
- Decided
- June 26, 1979
- Argued
- April 17, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Libel and defamation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Wolston v. Reader's Digest Association, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-145, docket 1978-145-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Libel and defamation”
- Hutchinson v. Proxmire
- Herbert v. Lando
- Time, Inc. v. Firestone
- Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc.
- Old Dominion Branch No. 496 v. Austin
- Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Smith v. Daily Mail Publishing Co.Law held unconstitutional
- Smith v. Arkansas State Highway Employees
- Friedman v. Rogers
- Givhan v. Western Line Consolidated School District
- Brown v. Glines
- Secretary of the Navy v. Huff
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Givhan v. Western Line Consolidated School District
- Friedman v. Rogers
- Herbert v. Lando
- Smith v. Arkansas State Highway Employees
- Marchioro v. Chaney
- Smith v. Daily Mail Publishing Co.Law 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