Frank v. Maryland
359 U.S. 360 · Decided May 4, 1959 · 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
Frank v. Maryland was decided on May 4, 1959 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Search and seizure (general)” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 359 U.S. 360 · 79 S. Ct. 804 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 877 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1085
- Docket number
- 278
- Decided
- May 4, 1959
- Argued
- March 5, 1959
- 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
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Felix Frankfurter
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Search and seizure (general)
- 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | 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 Charles E. Whittaker | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Frank v. Maryland
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-084, docket 1958-084-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Search and seizure (general)”
- Ohio ex Rel. Eaton v. Price
- Draper v. United States
- Henry v. United States
- Giordenello v. United States
- Jones v. United States
- Joines v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourth Amendment
- Rios v. United States
- Lanza v. New York
- Wheeldin v. Wheeler
- Fahy v. Connecticut
- Preston v. United States
- Cooper v. California
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Hawkins v. United States
- Ladner v. United StatesAltered precedent
- United States ex Rel. Jennings v. Ragen
- Draper v. United States
- Greene v. United States
- Heflin 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