Was the Supreme Court’s decision in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan unanimous?

Yes, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan was unanimous (9–0).1

While all nine justices supported the final decision delivered by Justice William Brennan, there was a distinction in their legal reasoning. Six justices signed onto Brennan’s opinion, which established the "actual malice" standard for libel suits involving public officials. The remaining three justices—Hugo Black, William O. Douglas, and Arthur Goldberg—concurred with the outcome but argued that the First Amendment should provide an even broader, absolute privilege for critics of official conduct, regardless of whether the statements were made with malicious intent.1