Beck v. Ohio
379 U.S. 89 · Decided November 23, 1964 · 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
Beck v. Ohio was decided on November 23, 1964 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the 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
- 379 U.S. 89 · 85 S. Ct. 223 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 142 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 151
- Docket number
- 18
- Decided
- November 23, 1964
- Argued
- October 15, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Beck v. Ohio
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-008, docket 1964-008-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Stanford v. TexasLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Ventresca
- Etchieson v. Texas
- Aguilar v. Texas
- Clinton v. Virginia
- Rugendorf v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Preston v. United States
- Fahy v. Connecticut
- Wheeldin v. Wheeler
- Cooper v. California
- Lanza v. New York
- Harris v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Boles v. Stevenson
- Turner v. Louisiana
- Stanford v. TexasLaw held unconstitutional
- Singer v. United States
- United States v. Gainey
- United States v. Ventresca
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