Shields v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co.
350 U.S. 318 · Decided February 27, 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
Shields v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co. was decided on February 27, 1956 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Sherman Minton 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
- 350 U.S. 318 · 76 S. Ct. 386 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 364 · 1956 U.S. LEXIS 1666
- Docket number
- 150
- Decided
- February 27, 1956
- Argued
- January 19, 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
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Sherman Minton
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 45 U.S.C. § 11
- 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 Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority |
Did not participate: John M. Harlan II.
Full case caption
Shields v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1955-029, docket 1955-029-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sufficiency of evidence in injury or death compensation”
- Schulz v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
- Neese v. Southern 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)
- 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