Rochin v. California
342 U.S. 165 · Decided January 2, 1952 · 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
Rochin v. California was decided on January 2, 1952 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Involuntary confession” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 342 U.S. 165 · 72 S. Ct. 205 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 183 · 1952 U.S. LEXIS 2576
- Docket number
- 83
- Decided
- January 2, 1952
- Argued
- October 16, 1951
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Felix Frankfurter
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Involuntary confession
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority |
Did not participate: Sherman Minton.
Full case caption
Rochin v. California
SCDB identifiers: case 1951-019, docket 1951-019-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Involuntary confession”
- Gallegos v. Nebraska
- United States v. Carignan
- Stroble v. California
- Brown v. Allen
- Stein v. New York
- Leyra v. Denno
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination)
- Hoffman v. United States
- Rogers v. United States
- Blau v. United States
- United States v. Kahriger
- Regan v. New York
- Quinn v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Stack v. Boyle
- United States v. Carignan
- United States v. Jeffers
- Gallegos v. Nebraska
- Palmer v. Ashe
- United States v. Hayman
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