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

Legal Citation: 355 U.S. 66 (1957)

Petitioner
Oleta O'Connor Yates

Respondent
United States

Petitioner's Claim
That advocacy of future overthrow of the government is protected by the First Amendment guarantee of free speech.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Ben Margolis

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Philip R. Monahan

Justices for the Court
Harold Burton, Tom C. Clark, Felix Frankfurter, John Marshall Harlan II (writing for the Court), Earl Warren

Justices Dissenting
Hugo Lafayette Black, William O. Douglas, (William J. Brennan, Jr., and Charles Evans Whittaker did not participate)

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
17 June 1957

Decision
The Supreme Court struck down the convictions of five of the appellants and referred the cases of the other nine (all...