Hannegan v. Esquire

Petitioner

Robert Hannegan, U.S. Postmaster General

Respondent

Esquire, Inc.

Petitioner's Claim

That Esquire, Inc. was not entitled to second class postal delivery, as the material published in the magazine was not contributing to the public good or public welfare.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Marvin C. Taylor

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

Bruce Bromley

Justices for the Court

Hugo Lafayette Black, Harold Burton, William O. Douglas (writing for the Court), Felix Frankfurter, Frank Murphy, Stanley Forman Reed, Wiley Blount Rutledge, Fred Moore Vinson

Justices Dissenting

None (Robert H. Jackson did not participate)

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

4 February 1946

Decision

Decided for Esquire, Inc., allowing the magazine to retain rights to second class postal service and refusing the Postmaster broad powers of censorship.

Related Cases

• Ex parte Jackson, 96 U.S. 727 (1877).
• United States ex rel. Milwaukee Social Democratic Publishing Co. v. Burleson, 255 U.S. 407 (1921).
• Lamont v. Postmaster General, 381 U.S. 301 (1965).

Further Readings

• Biskupic, Joan, and Elder Witt, eds. Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1997.
• Konvitz, Milton R., ed. Bill of Rights Reader, 5th ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1973.