Kelley v. Southern Pacific Co.
419 U.S. 318 · Decided December 23, 1974 · 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
Kelley v. Southern Pacific Co. was decided on December 23, 1974 by a vote of 6–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 419 U.S. 318 · 95 S. Ct. 472 · 42 L. Ed. 2d 498 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 49
- Docket number
- 73-1270
- Decided
- December 23, 1974
- Argued
- October 22, 1974
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Kelley v. Southern Pacific Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1974-017, docket 1974-017-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sufficiency of evidence in injury or death compensation”
- O'Keeffe v. Aerojet-General Shipyards, Inc.
- Richardson v. Perales
- Norfolk & Western Railway Co. v. Liepelt
- Grunenthal v. Long Island Rail Road Co.
- U.S. Industries/federal Sheet Metal, Inc. v. Director
- Iacurci v. Lummus Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Edwards v. Pacific Fruit Express Co.
- Hogue v. Southern Railway Co.
- Burnett v. New York Central Railroad Co.
- Gillespie v. United States Steel Corp.
- Dennis v. Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Co.
- Atchison v. Buell
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gulf Oil Corp. v. Copp Paving Co., Inc.
- Bowman Transportation, Inc. v. Arkansas-Best Freight System, Inc.
- Standard Pressed Steel Co. v. Department of Revenue of Washington
- Train v. City of New York
- Train v. Campaign Clean Water, Inc.
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. Oregon Pacific Industries, 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