Zemel v. Rusk
381 U.S. 1 · Decided May 3, 1965 · 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
Zemel v. Rusk was decided on May 3, 1965 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Internal security legislation” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 381 U.S. 1 · 85 S. Ct. 1271 · 14 L. Ed. 2d 179 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 1304
- Docket number
- 86
- Decided
- May 3, 1965
- Argued
- March 1, 1965
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Internal security legislation
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 22 U.S.C. § 211
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Zemel v. Rusk, Secretary of State, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-095, docket 1964-095-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Internal security legislation”
- American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born v. Subversive Activities Control Board
- Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade v. Subversive Activities Control Board
- United States v. BrownAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Albertson v. Subversive Activities Control BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- Aptheker v. Secretary of StateLaw held unconstitutional
- Rabinowitz v. Kennedy
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Garrison v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. Louisiana
- Freedman v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Seeger
- Henry v. Collins
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