Briggs v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
334 U.S. 304 · Decided May 24, 1948 · 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
Briggs v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co. was decided on May 24, 1948 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Robert H. Jackson wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Jurisdiction of federal district or territorial courts” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 334 U.S. 304 · 68 S. Ct. 1039 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 1403 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 2143
- Docket number
- 530
- Decided
- May 24, 1948
- Argued
- March 30, 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Robert H. Jackson
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Briggs, Administratrix, v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-086, docket 1947-086-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Jurisdiction of federal district or territorial courts”
- Woods v. Hills
- Eccles v. Peoples Bank of Lakewood Village
- King v. Order of United Commercial Travelers of America
- Ayrshire Collieries Corp. v. United States
- Land v. Dollar
- Order of Railway Conductors of America v. Swan
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Williams v. Fanning
- Globe Liquor Co., Inc. v. San Roman
- Musser v. Utah
- Chicago & Southern Air Lines, Inc. v. Waterman Steamship Corp.
- King v. Order of United Commercial Travelers of America
- Suttle v. Reich Bros. Construction 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