Chapman v. United States
365 U.S. 610 · Decided April 3, 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
Chapman v. United States was decided on April 3, 1961 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Charles E. Whittaker 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
- 365 U.S. 610 · 81 S. Ct. 776 · 5 L. Ed. 2d 828 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 1396
- Docket number
- 175
- Decided
- April 3, 1961
- Argued
- February 23, 1961
- 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Charles E. Whittaker
- 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 | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Chapman v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-064, docket 1960-064-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Silverman v. United States
- Wilson v. Schnettler
- Pugach v. Dollinger
- Mapp v. OhioAltered precedent
- Marcus v. Search Warrant of Property at 104 East Tenth StreetLaw held unconstitutional
- Elkins v. United StatesAltered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Rios v. United States
- Lanza v. New York
- Wheeldin v. Wheeler
- Fahy v. Connecticut
- Preston v. United States
- Cooper v. California
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