Kovacs v. Cooper
336 U.S. 77 · Decided January 31, 1949 · 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
Kovacs v. Cooper was decided on January 31, 1949 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Stanley F. Reed wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Protest demonstrations” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 336 U.S. 77 · 69 S. Ct. 448 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 513 · 1949 U.S. LEXIS 3034
- Docket number
- 9
- Decided
- January 31, 1949
- Argued
- October 11, 1948
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Stanley F. Reed
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Protest demonstrations
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Kovacs v. Cooper, Judge
SCDB identifiers: case 1948-030, docket 1948-030-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Protest demonstrations”
- Hughes v. Superior Court of California for Contra Costa County
- Edwards v. South Carolina
- Fields v. South Carolina
- Fields v. City of Fairfield.
- Henry v. City of Rock Hill
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Lincoln Federal Labor Union v. Northwestern Iron & Metal Co.Altered precedent
- American Federation of Labor v. American Sash & Door Co.
- Giboney v. Empire Storage & Ice Co.
- Terminiello v. ChicagoLaw held unconstitutional
- Saia v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Winters v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Railway Express Agency, Inc. v. New York
- Giboney v. Empire Storage & Ice Co.
- Terminiello v. ChicagoLaw 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