Peak v. United States
353 U.S. 43 · Decided March 25, 1957 · 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
Peak v. United States was decided on March 25, 1957 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sufficiency of evidence in injury or death compensation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 353 U.S. 43 · 77 S. Ct. 613 · 1 L. Ed. 2d 631 · 1957 U.S. LEXIS 1729
- Docket number
- 491
- Decided
- March 25, 1957
- Argued
- February 28, 1957
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 38 U.S.C. § 810
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority |
Did not participate: Charles E. Whittaker.
Full case caption
Peak v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1956-061, docket 1956-061-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sufficiency of evidence in injury or death compensation”
- Deen v. Gulf
- Thomson v. Texas & Pacific Railway Co.
- Senko v. Lacrosse Dredging Corp.
- Rogers v. Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.
- Webb v. Illinois Central Railroad Co.
- Herdman v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Thompson v. Coastal Oil Co.
- Holophane Co., Inc. v. United States.
- United States v. Bergh
- Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Co. v. United States
- United States v. Interstate Commerce Commission
- United States v. Howard
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