Cousins v. Wigoda
419 U.S. 477 · Decided January 15, 1975 · 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
Cousins v. Wigoda was decided on January 15, 1975 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous federalism” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 419 U.S. 477 · 95 S. Ct. 541 · 42 L. Ed. 2d 595 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 21
- Docket number
- 73-1106
- Decided
- January 15, 1975
- Argued
- November 11, 1974
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous federalism
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Cousins et al. v. Wigoda et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-023, docket 1974-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous federalism”
- Bonelli Cattle Co. v. Arizona
- United States v. Little Lake Misere Land Co., Inc.
- Oregon ex Rel. State Land Board v. Corvallis Sand & Gravel Co.Altered precedent
- Watt v. Alaska
- Zschernig v. MillerLaw held unconstitutional
- First National Bank of Logan v. Walker Bank & Trust Co.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Allenberg Cotton Co., Inc. v. Pittman
- American Radio Assn. v. Mobile Steamship Assn., Inc.
- Utah v. United States
- United States v. Florida
- United States v. Maine
- United States v. Louisiana
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