Cohen v. Beneficial Industrial Loan Corp.
337 U.S. 541 · Decided June 20, 1949 · 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
Cohen v. Beneficial Industrial Loan Corp. was decided on June 20, 1949 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Robert H. Jackson wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous federalism” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 337 U.S. 541 · 69 S. Ct. 1221 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 1528 · 1949 U.S. LEXIS 2149
- Docket number
- 442
- Decided
- June 20, 1949
- Argued
- April 18, 1949
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Robert H. Jackson
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous federalism
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Cohen, Executrix, et al. v. Beneficial Industrial Loan Corp. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1948-101, docket 1948-101-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous federalism”
- Ragan v. Merchants Transfer & Warehouse Co.
- Woods v. Interstate Realty Co.
- Chicago v. Stude
- Carroll v. LanzaAltered precedent
- Bank of America National Trust & Savings Association v. Parnell
- Corbett v. Stergios
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Wheeling Steel Corp. v. GlanderLaw held unconstitutional
- Daniel v. Family Security Life Insurance Co.
- Goesaert v. Cleary
- United States v. Burnison
- Cassell v. Texas
- Sweatt v. PainterLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- La Crosse Telephone Corp. v. Wisconsin Employment Relations Board
- Callaway v. Benton
- Algoma Plywood & Veneer Co. v. Wisconsin Employment Relations Board
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Texas CompanyAltered precedent
- Ragan v. Merchants Transfer & Warehouse Co.
- Woods v. Interstate Realty Co.
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