United States v. Cotton
397 U.S. 45 · Decided February 24, 1970 · 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
United States v. Cotton was decided on February 24, 1970 by a vote of 7–1. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal rules of civil procedure” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 397 U.S. 45 · 90 S. Ct. 816 · 25 L. Ed. 2d 43 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 2944
- Docket number
- 1022
- Decided
- February 24, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal rules of civil procedure
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Supreme Court Rules
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Cotton et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-044, docket 1969-044-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Supreme Court Rules
- Utah Public Service Commission v. El Paso Natural Gas Co.
- Durham v. United States
- Bradley v. United States
- Pittsburgh Towing Co. v. Mississippi Valley Barge Line Co.
- Snider v. All State Administrators, Inc.
- United States v. Healy
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Conway v. California Adult Authority
- City of Chicago v. United States
- National Labor Relations Board v. J. H. Rutter-Rex Manufacturing Co., Inc.
- Maryland and Virginia Eldership of the Churches of God v. Church of God at Sharpsburg, Inc.
- Goldstein v. Cox
- Shapiro v. Doe
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