Ellis v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.
329 U.S. 649 · Decided February 3, 1947 · 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
Ellis v. Union Pacific Railroad Co. was decided on February 3, 1947 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sufficiency of evidence in injury or death compensation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 329 U.S. 649 · 67 S. Ct. 598 · 91 L. Ed. 572 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 2694
- Docket number
- 320
- Decided
- February 3, 1947
- Argued
- January 16, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Employers' Liability 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 Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Ellis v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1946-046, docket 1946-046-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sufficiency of evidence in injury or death compensation”
- Jesionowski v. Boston & Maine Railroad
- Cardillo v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.
- Myers v. Reading Company
- Lillie v. Thompson
- Callen v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
- Johnson v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Kilpatrick v. Texas & Pacific Railway Co.
- Urie v. Thompson
- Boyd v. Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company
- Carter v. Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay Railway Co.
- Affolder v. New York
- Desper v. Starved Rock Ferry Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Co. v. WalkerAltered precedent
- Champlin Refining Co. v. United States
- United States v. Howard P. Foley Co., Inc.
- Richfield Oil Corp. v. State Board of EqualizationLaw held unconstitutional
- American Power & Light Co. v. Securities & Exchange Commission
- Vanston Bondholders Protective Committee v. Green
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