PHILADELPHIA NEWSPAPERS, INC., et al. v. HEPPS et al. (1986)

PHILADELPHIA NEWSPAPERS, INC., et al. v. HEPPS et al.
	Term: 1985
Important Dates
	Argued: December 3, 1985
	Decided: April 21, 1986
Outcome
	Reversed and remanded
Vote
	5-4
Majority
	Thurgood Marshall • Sandra Day O'Connor • Lewis Powell
Concurring
	Harry Blackmun • William Brennan
Dissenting
	Warren Burger • William Rehnquist • John Paul Stevens • Byron White

PHILADELPHIA NEWSPAPERS, INC., et al. v. HEPPS et al. is a case that was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States on April 21, 1986. The case was argued before the court on December 3, 1985.

In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the ruling of the lower court and remanded the case for further proceedings consistent with the Court's opinion. The case originated from the Pennsylvania State Trial Court.

For a full list of cases decided in the 1980s, click here. For a full list of cases decided by the Burger Court, click here.

^[1]

About the case

Subject matter: First Amendment - Libel, defamation: defamation of public officials and public and private persons
Petitioner: Newspaper, newsletter, journal of opinion, news service
Petitioner state: Unknown
Respondent type: Injured person or legal entity, nonphysically and non-employment related
Respondent state: Unknown
Citation: 475 U.S. 767
How the court took jurisdiction: Appeal
What type of decision was made: Opinion of the court (orally argued)
Who was the chief justice: Warren Burger
Who wrote the majority opinion: Sandra Day O'Connor

These data points were accessed from The Supreme Court Database, which also attempts to categorize the ideological direction of the court's ruling in each case. This case's ruling was categorized as liberal.