Murphy v. Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor
378 U.S. 52 · Decided June 15, 1964 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Murphy v. Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor was decided on June 15, 1964 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Arthur J. Goldberg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Self-incrimination, immunity from prosecution” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 378 U.S. 52 · 84 S. Ct. 1594 · 12 L. Ed. 2d 678 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 2229
- Docket number
- 138
- Decided
- June 15, 1964
- Argued
- March 5, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Arthur J. Goldberg
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Self-incrimination, immunity from prosecution
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Murphy et al. v. Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-147, docket 1963-147-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Self-incrimination, immunity from prosecution”
- United States v. Welden
- Stevens v. Marks
- Lanza v. New York
- Piemonte v. United States
- Reina v. United States
- Gardner v. Broderick
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Reynolds v. SimsLaw held unconstitutional
- Wmca, Inc. v. LomenzoLaw held unconstitutional
- Maryland Committee for Fair Representation v. TawesLaw held unconstitutional
- Davis v. MannLaw held unconstitutional
- Roman v. SincockLaw held unconstitutional
- Lucas v. Forty-Fourth General Assembly of ColoradoLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Newsome v. North Carolina
- Pickelsimer v. Wainwright
- Barnes v. North Carolina
- Panico v. United States
- Evola v. United States
- Crews v. Wainwright
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