Cox v. Louisiana
379 U.S. 559 · Decided January 18, 1965 · 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
Cox v. Louisiana was decided on January 18, 1965 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Arthur J. Goldberg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Protest demonstrations” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 379 U.S. 559 · 85 S. Ct. 476 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 487 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 2328
- Docket number
- 49
- Decided
- January 18, 1965
- Argued
- October 21, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Arthur J. Goldberg
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Protest demonstrations
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Cox v. Louisiana
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-035, docket 1964-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Protest demonstrations”
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Henry v. City of Rock Hill
- Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham
- Fields v. City of Fairfield.
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Overstreet
- Adderley v. Florida
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Freedman v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- Garrison v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Henry v. Collins
- Jacobellis v. Ohio
- A Quantity of Copies of Books v. KansasLaw held unconstitutional
- New York Times Co. v. SullivanLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Garrison v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Freedman v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Seeger
- Henry v. Collins
- Dombrowski v. PfisterLaw held unconstitutional
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