Thompson v. Coastal Oil Co.
352 U.S. 862 · Decided October 15, 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 October 15, 1956 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability, miscellaneous” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 352 U.S. 862 · 77 S. Ct. 90 · 1 L. Ed. 2d 73 · 1956 U.S. LEXIS 1639
- Docket number
- 1
- Decided
- October 15, 1956
- Argued
- January 24, 1956
- Reargued
- October 8, 1956
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- 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 | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Thompson v. Coastal Oil Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1956-003, docket 1956-003-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability, miscellaneous”
- Collins v. American Buslines, Inc.
- United States for the Benefit of Sherman v. Carter
- Baltimore & Ohio Railway Co. v. Jackson
- Ryan Stevedoring Co., Inc. v. Pan-Atlantic Steamship Corp.
- Kernan v. American Dredging Co.
- Bisso v. Inland Waterways Corporation
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Holophane Co., Inc. v. United States.
- United States v. Bergh
- Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Co. v. United States
- United States v. Interstate Commerce Commission
- United States v. Howard
- Rayonier Incorporated v. United States
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