Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks v. Allen
373 U.S. 113 · Decided May 13, 1963 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks v. Allen was decided on May 13, 1963 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 373 U.S. 113 · 83 S. Ct. 1158 · 10 L. Ed. 2d 235 · 1963 U.S. LEXIS 2491
- Docket number
- 316
- Decided
- May 13, 1963
- Argued
- March 25, 1963
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Union or closed shop
- Issue area
- Unions
- Legal provision
- Railway Labor 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 | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority |
Did not participate: Arthur J. Goldberg.
Full case caption
Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express and Station Employes et al. v. Allen et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1962-098, docket 1962-098-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Union or closed shop”
- Retail Clerks International Association v. Schermerhorn
- International Association of Machinists v. Street
- Local 60 v. National Labor Relations Board
- Local 357 v. National Labor Relations Board
- National Labor Relations Board v. News Syndicate Co., Inc.
- International Typographical Union v. National Labor Relations Board
Cases on the same legal provision: Railway Labor Act
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
- International Association of Machinists v. Central Airlines, Inc.
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.
- Brotherhood of Railway & Steamship Clerks v. Association for the Benefit of Non-Contract Employees
- Gunther v. San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway Co.
- Brotherhood of Railway & Steamship Clerks v. Florida East Coast Railway Co.
Same Term, same area (Unions)
- Los Angeles Meat & Provision Drivers Union v. United States
- National Labor Relations Board v. Reliance Fuel Oil Corp.
- McCulloch v. Sociedad Nacional de Marineros de Honduras
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.
- General Drivers v. Riss & Company, Inc.
- International Association of Machinists v. Central Airlines, Inc.
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