Supreme Court of the United States, 1964

Justice Stewart's majority opinion held that the record failed to establish probable cause for Beck's warrantless arrest, making the resulting search unconstitutional and the seized clearing house slips inadmissible.

The Court reversed Jacobellis's conviction for possessing and exhibiting the film “The Lovers,” but no rationale commanded five votes. Brennan, joined by Goldberg, concluded that the film was not obscene under Roth, that obscenity determinations require independent constitutional review, and that national rather than…

The Supreme Court held that § 6 of the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950, which made it a crime for any member of a registered Communist organization to apply for or use a United States passport, is unconstitutional on its face because it too broadly and indiscriminately restricts the right to travel abroad, a…

Justice Black concurs in the judgment that compelled testimony given in state proceedings may not be used against the witness in a federal criminal prosecution, and he argues that this rule should be grounded in the Court's supervisory power rather than a new constitutional doctrine.

The Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment protects the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination against state infringement and requires application of the same standards governing the privilege in federal proceedings.

The Supreme Court reversed the district court, holding that the Equal Protection Clause requires both houses of a state legislature to be apportioned substantially on a population basis and that Colorado's Amendment No. 7 Senate scheme violates that requirement.

Justice Black's majority opinion held that state courts cannot restrain parties from prosecuting an in personam action in federal courts having jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter.

The Court held that a state court lacks authority to enjoin a litigant from pursuing an in‑personam action in federal court, and therefore vacated the Texas Court of Civil Appeals' contempt judgment based on an invalid injunction, reversing the Texas Supreme Court and remanding for further proceedings.

Justice Black’s opinion held that closing Prince Edward County’s public schools while supporting segregated private schools and maintaining public schools elsewhere in Virginia denied Black schoolchildren equal protection.

The Supreme Court held that El Paso’s acquisition of Pacific Northwest violated § 7 of the Clayton Act because it substantially lessened competition in California’s natural‑gas market, and reversed the district court’s judgment, ordering immediate divestiture.

Justice Harlan delivered the Court’s opinion affirming the judgment requiring Wiley to arbitrate claims under its merged predecessor’s collective bargaining agreement. Courts must determine whether a successor is bound to arbitrate, but a merger does not automatically extinguish the arbitration obligation.

Justice Goldberg's opinion of the Court held that eligibility for transfer under 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a) depends on federal venue and jurisdiction requirements, not the transferee State's requirements for fiduciaries' capacity to sue.

The Court dismissed the appeal for want of jurisdiction, treated it as a petition for certiorari, granted review, and affirmed the judgments sustaining Ungar's criminal contempt conviction.

Chief Justice Warren delivered the Court's opinion affirming the Ninth Circuit. The Court held that post-petition interest on an unpaid federal tax debt excepted from discharge remains the debtor's personal liability and may be collected from assets acquired after bankruptcy.

The Court held that a stevedore’s implied warranty of workmanlike service is breached when the stevedore supplies equipment that is defective and causes injury, even if the defect was latent and the stevedore was not negligent.

The Court held that a stevedore’s implied warranty of workmanlike service can be breached when equipment supplied under the stevedoring contract is defective and causes injury, even if the stevedore was not negligent and the defect was latent.

The Court, through Justice Black, held that challenges to congressional districting are justiciable and that Article I, § 2 requires, as nearly as practicable, equal weight for each person's vote in congressional elections.

The Court granted certiorari, held that the appeal was timely because the district court’s acceptance of the post‑trial motions tolled the filing period, vacated the Court of Appeals’ dismissal, and remanded for merits review.

The Court, through Justice Stewart, held that a person designated in a private contract to receive process was an agent authorized by appointment under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(d)(1), where she promptly accepted and transmitted the process and the defendants received timely notice.

The Supreme Court held that the petitioner’s appeal was timely because the district court’s determination that his post‑trial motions were made “in ample time” tolled the appeal period, vacated the Court of Appeals’ dismissal, and remanded for the appeal to be heard on the merits.