Braen v. Pfeifer Oil Transportation Co., Inc.
361 U.S. 129 · Decided December 14, 1959 · 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
Braen v. Pfeifer Oil Transportation Co., Inc. was decided on December 14, 1959 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability, miscellaneous” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 361 U.S. 129 · 80 S. Ct. 247 · 4 L. Ed. 2d 191 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1755
- Docket number
- 32
- Decided
- December 14, 1959
- Argued
- November 16, 1959
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Jones Act or Death on the High Seas Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Braen v. Pfeifer Oil Transportation Co., Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1959-011, docket 1959-011-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability, miscellaneous”
- National Labor Relations Board v. Deena Artware, Inc.
- Lewis v. Benedict Coal Corp.
- Mitchell v. Trawler Racer, Inc.
- Southwestern Sugar & Molasses Co., Inc. v. River Terminals Corp.
- Robert C. Herd & Co., Inc. v. Krawill Machinery Corp.
- Crumady v. the Joachim Hendrik Fisser
Cases on the same legal provision: Jones Act or Death on the High Seas Act
- Sentilles v. Inter-Caribbean Shipping Corp.
- Romero v. International Terminal Operating Co.
- Michalic v. Cleveland Tankers, Inc.
- McAllister v. Magnolia Petroleum Co.
- Butler v. Whiteman
- Salem v. United States Lines Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Harris v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
- Conner v. Butler
- United States v. Seaboard Air Line Railroad Co.
- Sentilles v. Inter-Caribbean Shipping Corp.
- West v. United States
- Inman v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.
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