James v. Louisiana
382 U.S. 36 · Decided October 18, 1965 · 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
James v. Louisiana was decided on October 18, 1965 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 382 U.S. 36 · 86 S. Ct. 151 · 15 L. Ed. 2d 30 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 450
- Docket number
- 23 M
- Decided
- October 18, 1965
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure (general)
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourth Amendment
- 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 William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Full case caption
James v. Louisiana
SCDB identifiers: case 1965-006, docket 1965-006-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Riggan v. Virginia
- United States v. Ventresca
- Stanford v. TexasLaw held unconstitutional
- Beck v. Ohio
- Black v. United States
- Lewis v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Cooper v. California
- Preston v. United States
- Fahy v. Connecticut
- Wheeldin v. Wheeler
- Harris v. United States
- Lanza v. New York
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- First Security National Bank & Trust Co. of Lexington v. United States
- Harris v. United StatesAltered precedent
- Tehan v. United States ex Rel. Shott
- Baxstrom v. HeroldLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Ewell
- Stevens v. Marks
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