Cobert v. New York
388 U.S. 443 · Decided June 12, 1967 · 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
Cobert v. New York was decided on June 12, 1967 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, state” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 388 U.S. 443 · 87 S. Ct. 2092 · 18 L. Ed. 2d 1305 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 1093
- Docket number
- 21
- Decided
- June 12, 1967
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, state
- Issue area
- First 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 | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Full case caption
Cobert v. New York
SCDB identifiers: case 1966-137, docket 1966-137-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, state”
- Keney v. New York
- Friedman v. New York
- Ratner v. California
- Sheperd v. New York
- Avansino v. New York
- Corinth Publications, Inc. v. Wesberry
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Adderley v. Florida
- Bond v. Floyd
- Time, Inc. v. Hill
- United States v. Laub
- Travis v. United States
- Keyishian v. Board of Regents of the University of the State of New YorkAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
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