South Buffalo Railway Co. v. Ahern
344 U.S. 367 · Decided January 19, 1953 · 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
South Buffalo Railway Co. v. Ahern was decided on January 19, 1953 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 344 U.S. 367 · 73 S. Ct. 340 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 395 · 1953 U.S. LEXIS 2469
- Docket number
- 179
- Decided
- January 19, 1953
- Argued
- December 17, 1952
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
South Buffalo Railway Co. v. Ahern et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1952-036, docket 1952-036-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Howard v. Commissioners of the Sinking Fund of the City of Louisville
- United States v. Public Utilities Commission of California
- Levinson v. Deupree
- Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc. v. Koppal
- New York v. Nothnagle
- Castle v. Hayes Freight Lines, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Stone v. New York
- Pope v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co.
- Dice v. Akron
- Desper v. Starved Rock Ferry Co.
- Moore v. Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co.
- Affolder v. New York
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Howard v. Commissioners of the Sinking Fund of the City of Louisville
- United States v. Public Utilities Commission of California
- Esso Standard Oil Co. v. Evans
- Levinson v. Deupree
- Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc. v. Koppal
- New York v. Nothnagle
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