Home > Great American Court Cases > Barenblatt v. United States

Legal Citation: 360 U.S. 109 (1959)

Petitioner
Lloyd Barenblatt

Respondent
United States

Petitioner's Claim
That compelled testimony before Congress about Communist affiliations violates First Amendment rights.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Edward J. Ennis

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Philip R. Monahan

Justices for the Court
Tom C. Clark, Felix Frankfurter, John Marshall Harlan II (writing for the Court), Potter Stewart, Charles Evans Whittaker

Justices Dissenting
Hugo Lafayette Black, William J. Brennan, Jr., William O. Douglas, Earl Warren

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
8 June 1958

Decision
By a vote of 5-4, the Supreme Court narrowly upheld Lloyd Barenblatt's conviction for contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about his alleged...