Reed v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
351 U.S. 502 · Decided June 11, 1956 · 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
Reed v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co. was decided on June 11, 1956 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Sherman Minton wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 351 U.S. 502 · 76 S. Ct. 958 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 1366 · 1956 U.S. LEXIS 1641
- Docket number
- 621
- Decided
- June 11, 1956
- Argued
- May 1, 1956
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Sherman Minton
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Election of remedies
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent |
Full case caption
Reed v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1955-099, docket 1955-099-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- Southern Pacific Co. v. Gileo
- Czaplicki v. the Hoegh Silvercloud
- Archawski v. Hanioti
- British Transport Commission v. United States
- Lake Tankers Corp. v. Henn
- Wilburn Boat Co. v. Fireman's Fund Insurance Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Rogers v. Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.
- Webb v. Illinois Central Railroad Co.
- Herdman v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
- Ferguson v. Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc.
- Arnold v. Panhandle & Santa Fe Railway Co.
- McBride v. Toledo Terminal Railroad Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Williams v. United States.
- Liquid Carbonic Corp. v. United States
- Indian Towing Co., Inc. v. United States
- Neese v. Southern Railway Co.
- Bernhardt v. Polygraphic Company of America, Inc.
- Ryan Stevedoring Co., Inc. v. Pan-Atlantic Steamship Corp.
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