Delta Air Lines, Inc. v. Summerfield
347 U.S. 74 · Decided February 1, 1954 · 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
Delta Air Lines, Inc. v. Summerfield was decided on February 1, 1954 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Airline regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 347 U.S. 74 · 74 S. Ct. 350 · 98 L. Ed. 2d 513 · 1954 U.S. LEXIS 2636
- Docket number
- 223
- Decided
- February 1, 1954
- Argued
- December 9, 1953
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Airline regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 49 U.S.C. § 101
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority |
Full case caption
Delta Air Lines, Inc. v. Summerfield, Postmaster General, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1953-038, docket 1953-038-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Airline regulation”
- Western Air Lines, Inc. v. Civil Aeronautics Board
- American Airlines, Inc. v. North American Airlines, Inc.
- Civil Aeronautics Board v. State Airlines, Inc.
- Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc. v. Civil Aeronautics Board
- Civil Aeronautics Board v. Delta Air Lines, Inc.
- Pan American World Airways, Inc. v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Voris v. Eikel
- Toolson v. New York Yankees, Inc.
- Avondale Marine Ways, Inc. v. Henderson
- Pope & Talbot, Inc. v. Hawn
- Wilko v. Swan
- General Protective Committee for the Holders of Option Warrants of the United Corporation v. Securities and Exchange Commission
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