Supreme Court of the United States / October Term 1961

Western Union Telegraph Co. v. Pennsylvania

Decided December 4, 1961. Hugo Lafayette Black delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 15 · 368 U.S. 71 (1961)

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 9–0.

Majority · 8

Hugo Lafayette Black · delivered the opinion of the Court
Charles Evans Whittaker
Earl Warren
Felix Frankfurter
John Marshall Harlan
Tom C. Clark
William Joseph Brennan Jr.
William Orville Douglas

Concurring · 1

Potter Stewart · filed a concurring opinion

“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.

Official text

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

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Hugo Lafayette Black’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).