King v. United States
379 U.S. 329 · Decided December 14, 1964 · 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
King v. United States was decided on December 14, 1964 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice John M. Harlan II wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Bankruptcy” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 379 U.S. 329 · 85 S. Ct. 427 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 315 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 2147
- Docket number
- 16
- Decided
- December 14, 1964
- Argued
- October 19, 1964
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Bankruptcy
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 31 U.S.C. § 191
- 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 | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
King, Executrix, et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-020, docket 1964-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Bankruptcy”
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. American Trailer Rentals Co.
- Bruning v. United States
- Katchen v. Landy
- Segal v. Rochelle
- Perry v. Commerce Loan Co.
- Wolf v. Weinstein
Cases on the same legal provision: 31 U.S.C. § 191
- United States v. Moore
- Massachusetts v. United States
- United States Department of Agriculture v. Remund
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Brulotte v. Thys Co.
- Gillespie v. United States Steel Corp.
- California v. Lo-Vaca Gathering Co.
- City of El Paso v. Simmons
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. American Trailer Rentals Co.
- Davis v. Baltimore & Ohio 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