Hughes v. Fetter
341 U.S. 609 · Decided June 4, 1951 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Hughes v. Fetter was decided on June 4, 1951 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability, miscellaneous” in the Economic Activity area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 341 U.S. 609 · 71 S. Ct. 980 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 1212 · 1951 U.S. LEXIS 1728
- Docket number
- 355
- Decided
- June 4, 1951
- Argued
- March 1, 1951
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article IV, Section 1 (full faith and credit clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Dissent |
Full case caption
Hughes, Administrator, v. Fetter et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1950-091, docket 1950-091-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability, miscellaneous”
- Mosser v. Darrow
- Warren v. United States
- United States v. Fortier
- Halcyon Lines v. Haenn Ship Ceiling & Refitting Corp.
- First National Bank of Chicago v. United Air Lines, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Isbrandtsen Company, Inc. v. Johnson
Cases on the same legal provision: Article IV, Section 1 (full faith and credit clause)
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Fogarty v. United States
- Standard Oil Company of New Jersey v. United States
- Libby v. United States
- United States v. United States Gypsum Co.
- Feres v. United States
- Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. v. Supermarket Equipment Corp.
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