Cooper v. Aaron
358 U.S. 1 · Decided September 12, 1958 · 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
Cooper v. Aaron was decided on September 12, 1958 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “School desegregation” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 358 U.S. 1 · 78 S. Ct. 1401 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 5 · 1958 U.S. LEXIS 657
- Docket number
- 1
- Decided
- September 12, 1958
- Argued
- September 11, 1958
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- School desegregation
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority |
Full case caption
Cooper et Al., Members of the Board of Directors of the Little Rock, Arkansas, Independent School District, et al. v. Aaron et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-002, docket 1958-002-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “School desegregation”
- Aaron v. Cooper
- Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham Board of Education of Jefferson County
- Aaron v. Cooper
- Pennsylvania v. Board of Directors of City Trusts of the City of Philadelphia
- Bush v. Orleans Parish School BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- Florida ex Rel. Hawkins v. Board of Control of Florida
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Eskridge v. Washington State Board of Prison Terms and ParolesLaw held unconstitutional
- Eubanks v. Louisiana
- Allied Stores of Ohio, Inc. v. Bowers
- Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections
- Morey v. DoudLaw held unconstitutional
- Konigsberg v. State Bar of California
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Aaron v. Cooper
- Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham Board of Education of Jefferson County
- Evers v. Dwyer
- Williams et Ux. v. Lee
- Lee v. Madigan
- Tak Shan Fong v. United States
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