Costello v. United States
350 U.S. 359 · Decided March 5, 1956 · 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
Costello v. United States was decided on March 5, 1956 unanimously (7–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Extra-legal jury influences, prejudicial statements or evidence” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 350 U.S. 359 · 76 S. Ct. 406 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 397 · 1956 U.S. LEXIS 1845
- Docket number
- 72
- Decided
- March 5, 1956
- Argued
- January 16, 1956
- 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
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (grand jury)
- 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 Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority |
Did not participate: Tom C. Clark, John M. Harlan II.
Full case caption
Costello v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1955-033, docket 1955-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Extra-legal jury influences, prejudicial statements or evidence”
- United States ex Rel. Darcy v. Handy
- Delli Paoli v. United States
- Alcorta v. Texas
- Napue v. Illinois
- Miller v. Pate
- Rundle v. Johnson
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (grand jury)
- United States v. MillerAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Chessman v. Teets
- Pennsylvania ex Rel. Herman v. Claudy
- Rex Trailer Co., Inc. v. United States
- Rea v. United States
- Gibson v. Lockheed Aircraft Service, Inc.
- Remmer 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