Mitchell v. Cohen
333 U.S. 411 · Decided March 8, 1948 · 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
Mitchell v. Cohen was decided on March 8, 1948 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Frank Murphy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Military, veterans” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 333 U.S. 411 · 68 S. Ct. 518 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 774 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 2453
- Docket number
- 130
- Decided
- March 8, 1948
- Argued
- January 6, 1948
- Court era
- Vinson 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
- Frank Murphy
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Military, veterans
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 5 U.S.C. § 851
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Mitchell et Al., Members of the Civil Service Commission, v. Cohen
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-051, docket 1947-051-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Military, veterans”
- Hilton v. Sullivan
- United States v. Zazove
- Trailmobile Company v. Whirls
- United States ex Rel. Hirshberg v. Cooke
- Aeronautical Industrial District Lodge 727 v. Campbell
- Oakley v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Delgadillo v. Carmichael
- Patton v. Mississippi
- Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
- Oyama v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Le Maistre v. Leffers
- Fong Haw Tan v. Phelan
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