Carnley v. Cochran
369 U.S. 506 · Decided April 30, 1962 · 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
Carnley v. Cochran was decided on April 30, 1962 unanimously (7–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Right to counsel” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 369 U.S. 506 · 82 S. Ct. 884 · 8 L. Ed. 2d 70 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 1357
- Docket number
- 158
- Decided
- April 30, 1962
- Argued
- February 20, 1962
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Right to counsel
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Concurrence | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Did not participate: Felix Frankfurter, Byron R. White.
Full case caption
Carnley v. Cochran, Corrections Director
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-063, docket 1961-063-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Right to counsel”
- Chewning v. Cunningham
- Hamilton v. Alabama
- Walton v. Arkansas
- Gideon v. WainwrightAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- White v. Maryland
- Ferguson v. GeorgiaLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to counsel)
- Entsminger v. Iowa
- McConnell v. Rhay
- Arsenault v. Massachusetts
- Kirby v. Illinois
- United States v. Ash
- Moore v. Illinois
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Hamilton v. Alabama
- Hodges v. United States
- Hill v. United States
- Mitchell v. United States
- Chewning v. Cunningham
- Machibroda 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