Costello v. United States
365 U.S. 265 · Decided February 20, 1961 · 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 February 20, 1961 by a vote of 6–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Immigration, loss of citizenship or denaturalization” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 365 U.S. 265 · 81 S. Ct. 534 · 5 L. Ed. 2d 551 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 1945
- Docket number
- 59
- Decided
- February 20, 1961
- Argued
- December 12, 1960
- 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
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Immigration and Nationality statutes
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Did not participate: John M. Harlan II.
Full case caption
Costello v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-043, docket 1960-043-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Immigration, loss of citizenship or denaturalization”
- United States v. Lucchese
- Polites v. United States
- Chaunt v. United States
- Rusk v. Cort
- Kennedy v. Mendoza-MartinezLaw held unconstitutional
- Schneider v. Rusk
Cases on the same legal provision: Immigration and Nationality statutes
- Mackey v. Mendoza-Martinez
- Rosenberg v. Fleuti
- Gastelum-Quinones v. Kennedy
- Leng May Ma v. Barber
- Rogers v. Quan
- United States v. Cores
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Gomillion v. LightfootLaw held unconstitutional
- Chaunt v. United States
- Polites v. United States
- Boynton v. Virginia
- Bush v. Orleans Parish School BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- Monroe v. Pape
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