Francis v. Southern Pacific Co.
333 U.S. 445 · Decided March 15, 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
Francis v. Southern Pacific Co. was decided on March 15, 1948 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed 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
- 333 U.S. 445 · 68 S. Ct. 611 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 798 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 2408
- Docket number
- 400
- Decided
- March 15, 1948
- Argued
- February 5, 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Francis et al. v. Southern Pacific Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-055, docket 1947-055-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability, miscellaneous”
- Caldarola v. Eckert
- United States v. Standard Oil Company of California
- Mexican Light & Power Co., Ltd. v. Texas Mexican Railway Co.
- Coray v. Southern Pacific Co.
- Lawson v. Suwannee Fruit & Steamship Co.
- Black Diamond Steamship Corp. v. Robert Stewart & Sons, Ltd.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Federal Crop Insurance Corp. v. Merrill
- International Salt Co., Inc. v. United States
- Priebe & Sons, Inc. v. United States
- Lillie v. Thompson
- Aero Mayflower Transit Co. v. Board of Railroad Commissioners of Montana
- Callen v. Pennsylvania 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