Cooper v. California
386 U.S. 58 · Decided February 20, 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
Cooper v. California was decided on February 20, 1967 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure, vehicles” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 386 U.S. 58 · 87 S. Ct. 788 · 17 L. Ed. 2d 730 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 2199
- Docket number
- 103
- Decided
- February 20, 1967
- Argued
- December 8, 1966
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure, vehicles
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourth Amendment
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Dissent |
Full case caption
Cooper v. California
SCDB identifiers: case 1966-053, docket 1966-053-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure, vehicles”
- Harris v. United States
- One 1958 Plymouth Sedan v. Pennsylvania
- Preston v. United States
- Fahy v. Connecticut
- Chambers v. Maroney
- Perini v. Colosimo
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- McCray v. Illinois
- Lewis v. United States
- Hoffa v. United States
- Osborn v. United States
- Warden v. HaydenAltered precedent
- Camara v. Municipal Court of the City and County of San FranciscoAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Black v. United States
- Cichos v. Indiana
- O'Connor v. Ohio
- Lewis v. United States
- United States v. Fabrizio
- Hoffa 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