Patterson v. United States
359 U.S. 495 · Decided May 18, 1959 · 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
Patterson v. United States was decided on May 18, 1959 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 359 U.S. 495 · 79 S. Ct. 936 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 971 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1761
- Docket number
- 429
- Decided
- May 18, 1959
- Argued
- April 21, 1959
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Election of remedies
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 41 U.S.C. § 525
- 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 | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Patterson, General Administrator, et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-090, docket 1958-090-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- United States v. 93.970 Acres of Land
- Pennsylvania Railroad Co. v. Day
- Union Pacific Railroad Co. v. Price
- The Monrosa v. Carbon Black Export, Inc.
- Romero v. International Terminal Operating Co.
- The Tungus v. Skovgaard
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Moore v. Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
- Sangamon Valley Television Corp. v. United States
- Wirl Television Corp. v. United States
- Deen v. Hickman
- Worz, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
- Boston & Maine Railroad v. United States
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