United States v. Adams
383 U.S. 39 · Decided February 21, 1966 · 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
United States v. Adams was decided on February 21, 1966 by a vote of 7–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Patents” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 383 U.S. 39 · 86 S. Ct. 708 · 15 L. Ed. 2d 572 · 1966 U.S. LEXIS 2754
- Docket number
- 55
- Decided
- February 21, 1966
- Argued
- October 14, 1965
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Patents
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent |
Did not participate: Abe Fortas.
Full case caption
United States v. Adams et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1965-048, docket 1965-048-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Patents”
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- Brulotte v. Thys Co.
- Wilbur-Ellis Co. v. Kuther
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Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gondeck v. Pan American World Airways, Inc.
- Leh v. General Petroleum Corp.
- Seaboard Air Line Railroad Co. v. United States
- United States v. Maryland for the Use of Meyer
- Walker Process Equipment, Inc. v. Food Machinery & Chemical Corp.
- United Gas Improvement Co. v. Callery Properties, Inc.
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