Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jerry T. O'Brien, Inc.
United States Supreme Court
467 U.S. 735 (1984)
- Written by Robert Cane, JD
Facts
Harry Magnuson and Jerry T. O’Brien, Inc. (O’Brien) (defendants) had a business relationship related to Magnuson’s trading of stock. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) (plaintiff) had been investigating Magnuson and the firms with which he conducted business. The SEC issued subpoenas to various third parties as part of its investigation. Magnuson and O’Brien sought notice of the subpoenas issued by the SEC to third parties. The district court denied the request because Magnuson and O’Brien lacked standing to challenge voluntary compliance with the SEC’s subpoenas. The court of appeals reversed the district court’s denial of Magnuson and O’Brien’s request for notice of subpoenas issued to third parties. The SEC appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Marshall, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 964,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 47,500 briefs, keyed to 1,006 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
- AI-generated podcast version of every brief — listen on the go, between classes, or whenever reading isn’t an option. New
Understand your casebook readings in seconds
Use our case briefs to comprehend your casebook readings faster, supplement your notes and outlines, and outshine your peers in class.
Get instant access to over 47,500+ expert-written case briefs in a searchable database keyed to 1,006 law school casebooks.

