Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc., et al. v. Hepps et al.
Decided April 21, 1986. Sandra Day O'Connor delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 84-1491 · 475 U.S. 767 (1986) · Cited 858 times
Holding
In a case such as this one, where a newspaper publishes speech of public concern about a private figure, the private-figure plaintiff cannot recover damages without also showing that the statements at issue are false.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 5–4.
Majority · 3
- Sandra Day O'Connor · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Lewis Franklin Powell Jr.
- Thurgood Marshall
Concurring · 2
- Harry Andrew Blackmun
- William Joseph Brennan Jr. · filed a concurring opinion
Dissenting · 4
- Byron Raymond White
- John Paul Stevens · filed a dissenting opinion
- Warren Earl Burger
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
“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.
- Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. · 418 U.S. 323 (1974)
- New York Times Co. v. Sullivan · 376 U.S. 254 (1964)
- Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. v. Greenmoss Builders, Inc. · 472 U.S. 749 (1985)
- Rosenbloom v. Metromedia, Inc. · 403 U.S. 29 (1971)
- Garrison v. Louisiana · 379 U.S. 64 (1964)
- Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts · 388 U.S. 130 (1967)
- Rosenblatt v. Baer · 383 U.S. 75 (1966)
- National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People v. Button · 371 U.S. 415 (1963)
- Speiser v. Randall · 357 U.S. 513 (1958)
- Time, Inc. v. Firestone · 424 U.S. 448 (1976)
- First Nat. Bank of Boston v. Bellotti · 435 U.S. 765 (1978)
- Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire · 315 U.S. 568 (1942)
- St. Amant v. Thompson · 390 U.S. 727 (1968)
- Herbert v. Lando · 441 U.S. 153 (1979)
- Consolidated Edison Co. of New York v. Public Service Commission · 447 U.S. 530 (1980)
- Hutchinson v. Proxmire · 443 U.S. 111 (1979)
- Wolston v. Reader's Digest Assn., Inc. · 443 U.S. 157 (1979)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Milkovich v. Lorain Journal Co. · 497 U.S. 1 (1990)
- Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission · 558 U.S. 310 (2010)
- Elonis v. United States · 575 U.S. 723 (2015)
- Waters v. Churchill · 511 U.S. 661 (1994)
- New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., Inc. v. Bruen · 597 U.S. 1 (2022)
- Masson v. New Yorker Magazine, Inc. · 501 U.S. 496 (1991)
- Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc. v. Connaughton · 491 U.S. 657 (1989)
- Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Falwell · 485 U.S. 46 (1988)
- Florida Star v. B. J. F. · 491 U.S. 524 (1989)
- BE&K Construction Co. v. National Labor Relations Board · 536 U.S. 516 (2002)
- Cohen v. Cowles Media Co. · 501 U.S. 663 (1991)
- Counterman v. Colorado · 600 U.S. 66 (2023)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1986). 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).