United States v. Bergh
352 U.S. 40 · Decided November 19, 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
United States v. Bergh was decided on November 19, 1956 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark 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
- 352 U.S. 40 · 77 S. Ct. 106 · 1 L. Ed. 2d 102 · 1956 U.S. LEXIS 1636
- Docket number
- 17
- Decided
- November 19, 1956
- Argued
- October 15, 1956
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 5 U.S.C. § 86
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority |
Did not participate: William J. Brennan Jr..
Full case caption
United States v. Bergh et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1956-006, docket 1956-006-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Co. v. United States
- Rayonier Incorporated v. United States
- General Box Co. v. United States
- Hatahley v. United States
- Indian Towing Co., Inc. v. United States
- United States v. New York
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Thompson v. Coastal Oil Co.
- Holophane Co., Inc. v. United States.
- 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