Standard-Vacuum Oil Co. v. United States
339 U.S. 157 · Decided March 27, 1950 · 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
Standard-Vacuum Oil Co. v. United States was decided on March 27, 1950 unanimously (8–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sherman Minton wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, no substantial federal question” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 339 U.S. 157 · 70 S. Ct. 545 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 731 · 1950 U.S. LEXIS 2177
- Docket number
- 18
- Decided
- March 27, 1950
- Argued
- October 13, 1949
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Sherman Minton
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, no substantial federal question
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 2501
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
Standard-Vacuum Oil Co. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1949-056, docket 1949-056-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “No merits, no substantial federal question”
- Shipman v. Dupre
- Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. v. Northwestern Public Service Co.
- Palmer Oil Corp. v. Amerada Petroleum Corp.
- Walton v. California.
- Nelson v. Tennessee.
- Ganger v. City of Miami.
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 2501
- Soriano v. United States
- Franconia Associates v. United States
- John R. Sand & Gravel Company v. United States
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Roth v. Delano
- Graham v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen
- Boyd v. Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company
- Parker v. County of Los Angeles
- Hubsch v. United States
- United States v. Moorman
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