Barenblatt v. United States

Decided June 8, 1959. John Marshall Harlan delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 35 · 360 U.S. 109 (1959) · Cited 488 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

How the Justices voted

Decided 5–4.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Watkins v. United States · 354 U.S. 178 (1957)
• American Communications Assn. v. Douds · 339 U.S. 382 (1950)
• Cantwell v. Connecticut · 310 U.S. 296 (1940)
• Sweezy v. New Hampshire Ex Rel. Wyman · 354 U.S. 234 (1957)
• United States v. Lovett · 328 U.S. 303 (1946)
• Schneider v. State (Town of Irvington) · 308 U.S. 147 (1939)
• United States v. Rumely · 345 U.S. 41 (1953)
• National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People v. Alabama Ex Rel. Patterson · 357 U.S. 449 (1958)
• McGrain v. Daugherty · 273 U.S. 135 (1927)
• Herndon v. Lowry · 301 U.S. 242 (1937)
• West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette · 319 U.S. 624 (1943)
• A. L. A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States · 295 U.S. 495 (1935)
• Winters v. New York · 333 U.S. 507 (1948)
• Dennis v. United States · 341 U.S. 494 (1951)
• De Jonge v. Oregon · 299 U.S. 353 (1937)
• Carlson v. Landon · 342 U.S. 524 (1952)
• Jones v. Securities & Exchange Commission · 298 U.S. 1 (1936)
• Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore · 341 U.S. 56 (1951)
• Roviaro v. United States · 353 U.S. 53 (1957)
• Thornhill v. Alabama · 310 U.S. 88 (1940)
• Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee v. McGrath · 341 U.S. 123 (1951)
• Speiser v. Randall · 357 U.S. 513 (1958)
• Tenney v. Brandhove · 341 U.S. 367 (1951)
• Lanzetta v. New Jersey · 306 U.S. 451 (1939)
• Yates v. United States · 354 U.S. 298 (1957)
• Panama Refining Co. v. Ryan · 293 U.S. 388 (1935)
• Jordan v. De George · 341 U.S. 223 (1951)
• Chambers v. Florida · 309 U.S. 227 (1940)
• Schneiderman v. United States · 320 U.S. 118 (1943)
• Kent v. Dulles · 357 U.S. 116 (1958)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee · 372 U.S. 539 (1963)
• Zant v. Stephens · 462 U.S. 862 (1983)
• Russell v. United States · 369 U.S. 749 (1962)
• Scales v. United States · 367 U.S. 203 (1961)
• Konigsberg v. State Bar of Cal. · 366 U.S. 36 (1961)
• Communist Party of United States v. Subversive Activities Control Bd. · 367 U.S. 1 (1961)
• Street v. New York · 394 U.S. 576 (1969)
• Eastland v. United States Servicemen's Fund · 421 U.S. 491 (1975)
• Doe v. McMillan · 412 U.S. 306 (1973)
• Lathrop v. Donohue · 367 U.S. 820 (1961)
• Yellin v. United States · 374 U.S. 109 (1963)
• Benton v. Maryland · 395 U.S. 784 (1969)
• Branzburg v. Hayes · 408 U.S. 665 (1972)
• Brandenburg v. Ohio · 395 U.S. 444 (1969)
• Cramp v. Board of Public Instruction of Orange Cty. · 368 U.S. 278 (1961)
• Griswold v. Connecticut · 381 U.S. 479 (1965)
• Hoffman Estates v. Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc. · 455 U.S. 489 (1982)
• Shelton v. Tucker · 364 U.S. 479 (1960)
• Flemming v. Nestor · 363 U.S. 603 (1960)
• Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton · 413 U.S. 49 (1973)
• Cox v. Louisiana · 379 U.S. 559 (1965)
• Time, Inc. v. Hill · 385 U.S. 374 (1967)
• Hannah v. Larche · 363 U.S. 420 (1960)
• Aptheker v. Secretary of State · 378 U.S. 500 (1964)
• United States v. Robel · 389 U.S. 258 (1967)
• City of El Paso v. Simmons · 379 U.S. 497 (1965)
• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Shipbuilders, Blacksmiths, Forgers & Helpers v. Hardeman · 401 U.S. 233 (1971)
• Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, Inc. v. Wadmond · 401 U.S. 154 (1971)
• Cohen v. Hurley · 366 U.S. 117 (1961)
• McPhaul v. United States · 364 U.S. 372 (1960)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).