Thompson v. Coastal Oil Co.
350 U.S. 956 · Decided January 30, 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
Thompson v. Coastal Oil Co. was decided on January 30, 1956 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 350 U.S. 956 · 76 S. Ct. 345 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 832 · 1956 U.S. LEXIS 1449
- Docket number
- 105
- Decided
- January 30, 1956
- Argued
- January 24, 1956
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: John M. Harlan II.
Full case caption
Thompson v. Coastal Oil Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1955-105, docket 1955-105-01.
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