Cole v. Richardson
397 U.S. 238 · Decided March 16, 1970 · 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
Cole v. Richardson was decided on March 16, 1970 by a vote of 7–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Loyalty oath, government employees” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 397 U.S. 238 · 90 S. Ct. 1099 · 25 L. Ed. 2d 275 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 61
- Docket number
- 679
- Decided
- March 16, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Loyalty oath, government employees
- 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 | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Cole, Boston State Hospital Superintendent, et al. v. Richardson
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-060, docket 1969-060-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Loyalty oath, government employees”
- Cole v. Richardson
- Whitehill v. ElkinsLaw held unconstitutional
- Elfbrandt v. RussellLaw held unconstitutional
- Baggett v. BullittLaw held unconstitutional
- Nostrand v. Little
- Garner v. Board of Public Works of Los Angeles
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Bryson v. United States
- Carlos v. New York
- Cowgill v. California
- Jones v. State Board of Education of Tennessee
- Cain v. Kentucky
- Bachellar v. Maryland
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