United States v. O'Brien - Significance, Draft Card Burning
Petitioner
United States
Respondent
David Paul O'Brien
Petitioner's Claim
That a federal law prohibiting the destruction of draft cards is not a violation of the First Amendment's free speech guarantees.
Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Erwin N. Griswold, U.S. Solicitor General
Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Marvin M. Karpatkin
Justices for the Court
Hugo Lafayette Black, William J. Brennan, Jr., Abe Fortas, John Marshall Harlan II, Potter Stewart, Earl Warren (writing for the Court), Byron R. White
Justices Dissenting
William O. Douglas (Thurgood Marshall did not participate)
Place
Washington, D.C.
Date of Decision
27 May 1968
Decision
The Supreme Court upheld the federal statute and O'Brien's conviction.
Further Readings
- Bosmajian, Haig A., comp. Dissent: Symbolic Behavior and Rhetorical Strategies. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1972.
- Bracken, Harry M. Freedom of Speech: Words Are Not Deeds. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1994.
- Greenawalt, Kent, Fighting Words: Individuals, Communities, and Liberties of Speech. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995.
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