Morales v. City of Galveston
370 U.S. 165 · Decided June 11, 1962 · 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
Morales v. City of Galveston was decided on June 11, 1962 by a vote of 5–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart 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
- 370 U.S. 165 · 82 S. Ct. 1226 · 8 L. Ed. 2d 412 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 2153
- Docket number
- 480
- Decided
- June 11, 1962
- Argued
- April 23, 1962
- 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
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Tom C. Clark
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority |
Did not participate: Felix Frankfurter.
Full case caption
Morales et al. v. City of Galveston et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-093, docket 1961-093-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Roper v. United States
- Weyerhaeuser Steamship Co. v. United States
- United States v. Muniz
- United States v. Neustadt et Ux.
- Parden v. Terminal Railway of the Alabama State Docks Department
- West v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Roper v. United States
- Martin v. Walton
- Still v. Norfolk & Western Railway Co.
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. J-T Transport Co., Inc.
- Federal Trade Commission v. Henry Broch & Co.
- United States v. Drum
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