Cohen v. Hurley
366 U.S. 117 · Decided April 24, 1961 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Cohen v. Hurley was decided on April 24, 1961 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John M. Harlan II wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Self-incrimination (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 366 U.S. 117 · 81 S. Ct. 954 · 6 L. Ed. 2d 156 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 1960
- Docket number
- 84
- Decided
- April 24, 1961
- Argued
- December 14, 1960
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Felix Frankfurter
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Self-incrimination (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Cohen v. Hurley
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-082, docket 1960-082-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Self-incrimination (general)”
- Stewart v. United States
- Scott v. California
- Hutcheson v. United States
- Shotwell Manufacturing Co. v. United States
- Namet v. United States
- Knapp v. Schweitzer
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Konigsberg v. State Bar of California
- In re Anastaplo
- Rogers v. Richmond
- Reck v. Pate
- Culombe v. Connecticut
- Thomas v. Virginia
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Scott v. California
- Reina v. United States
- Callanan v. United States
- Carbo v. United States
- Campbell v. United States
- McNeal v. Culver
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error