McMahon v. United States
342 U.S. 25 · Decided November 5, 1951 · 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
McMahon v. United States was decided on November 5, 1951 by a vote of 6–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Robert H. Jackson 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
- 342 U.S. 25 · 72 S. Ct. 17 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 26 · 1951 U.S. LEXIS 2358
- Docket number
- 17
- Decided
- November 5, 1951
- Argued
- October 17, 1951
- 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
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Robert H. Jackson
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 50 U.S.C. § 1291
- 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 Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority |
Did not participate: Sherman Minton.
Full case caption
McMahon v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1951-003, docket 1951-003-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- United States v. Kelly
- United States v. Shannon
- United States v. Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co.
- United States v. Yellow Cab Co.
- Feres v. United States
- Standard Oil Company of New Jersey v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Lorain Journal Co. v. United States
- United States v. Fortier
- Desper v. Starved Rock Ferry Co.
- United States v. Kelly
- Pillsbury v. United Engineering Co.
- Carson v. Roane-Anderson Company
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