American Federation of Labor v. American Sash & Door Co.
335 U.S. 538 · Decided January 3, 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
American Federation of Labor v. American Sash & Door Co. was decided on January 3, 1949 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Union or closed shop” in the Unions area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 335 U.S. 538 · 69 S. Ct. 258 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 222 · 1949 U.S. LEXIS 3024
- Docket number
- 27
- Decided
- January 3, 1949
- Argued
- November 8, 1948
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Union or closed shop
- Issue area
- Unions
- 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 | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
American Federation of Labor et al. v. American Sash & Door Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1948-019, docket 1948-019-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Union or closed shop”
- Lincoln Federal Labor Union v. Northwestern Iron & Metal Co.Altered precedent
- Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co. v. National Labor Relations Board
- Local Union No. 10 v. Graham
- Railway Employes' Department v. Hanson
- Pennsylvania Railroad Co. v. Rychlik
- Felter v. Southern Pacific Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Kovacs v. Cooper
- Giboney v. Empire Storage & Ice Co.
- Terminiello v. ChicagoLaw held unconstitutional
- Saia v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Winters v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Donaldson v. Read Magazine, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Unions)
- Vermilya-Brown Co., Inc. v. Connell
- Lincoln Federal Labor Union v. Northwestern Iron & Metal Co.Altered precedent
- International Union, U. A. W. A., A. F. of L. v. Wisconsin Employment Relations Board
- Foley Bros., Inc. v. Filardo
- National Labor Relations Board v. Crompton-Highland Mills, Inc.
- Farmers Reservoir & Irrigation Co. v. McComb
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