United States v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.
338 U.S. 366 · Decided December 12, 1949 · 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. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. was decided on December 12, 1949 by a vote of 7–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 338 U.S. 366 · 70 S. Ct. 207 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 171 · 1949 U.S. LEXIS 2919
- Docket number
- 35
- Decided
- December 12, 1949
- Argued
- October 19, 1949
- 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
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Fred M. Vinson
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
United States v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1949-019, docket 1949-019-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Alcoa Steamship Co., Inc. v. United States
- United States v. Spelar
- Larson v. Domestic and Foreign Commerce Corp.
- Fink v. Shepard Steamship Co.
- United States v. Wittek
- Brooks v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- Hubsch v. United States
- Gardner v. Panama Railroad Co.
- United States v. Brown
- Richards v. United States
- United States v. Hohri
- William McNeil v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- United States v. Spelar
- Treichler v. WisconsinLaw held unconstitutional
- Faulkner v. Gibbs
- Reilly v. Pinkus
- United States v. Capital Transit Company
- Brown v. Western Railway of Alabama
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