Laird v. Nelms
406 U.S. 797 · Decided June 7, 1972 · 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
Laird v. Nelms was decided on June 7, 1972 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 406 U.S. 797 · 92 S. Ct. 1899 · 32 L. Ed. 2d 499 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 123
- Docket number
- 71-573
- Decided
- June 7, 1972
- Argued
- April 17, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
Laird, Secretary of Defense, et al. v. Nelms et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-131, docket 1971-131-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Affiliated Ute Citizens of Utah v. United States
- Doe v. McMillan
- United States v. Mason
- Logue v. United States
- Scheuer v. Rhodes
- United States v. Seckinger
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- Richards v. United States
- United States v. Hohri
- United States v. Brown
- Gardner v. Panama Railroad Co.
- William McNeil v. United States
- Hubsch v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Superintendent of Insurance of New York v. Bankers Life & Casualty Co.
- McClanahan v. Morauer & Hartzell, Inc.
- Norfolk & Western Railroad Co. v. Nemitz
- Chevron Oil Co. v. Huson
- Victory Carriers, Inc. v. Law
- O'Keeffe v. Aerojet-General Shipyards, 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