Home > Great American Court Cases > Pennsylvania v. Nelson

Legal Citation: 350 U.S. 497 (1956)

Petitioner
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Respondent
Steve Nelson

Petitioner's Claim
That the Pennsylvania Supreme Court erred in overturning the conviction of Nelson, a Communist Party leader, under the state's antisedition law.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Frank F. Truscott, Special Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Herbert S. Thatcher

Justices for the Court
Hugo Lafayette Black, Tom C. Clark, William O. Douglas, Felix Frankfurter, John Marshall Harlan II, Earl Warren (writing for the Court)

Justices Dissenting
Harold Burton, Sherman Minton, Stanley Forman Reed

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
2 April 1956

Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court found the Pennsylvania anti-sedition law...