United States v. Brown
348 U.S. 110 · Decided December 6, 1954 · 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. Brown was decided on December 6, 1954 by a vote of 5–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Military, active duty” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 348 U.S. 110 · 75 S. Ct. 141 · 99 L. Ed. 2d 139 · 1954 U.S. LEXIS 2609
- Docket number
- 38
- Decided
- December 6, 1954
- Argued
- November 15, 1954
- 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
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Military, active duty
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Brown
SCDB identifiers: case 1954-013, docket 1954-013-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Military, active duty”
- Kinsella v. Krueger
- Reid v. Covert
- Jackson v. Taylor
- Fowler v. Wilkinson
- Reid v. CovertAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Wilson v. Girard
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- United States v. Gilman
- Indian Towing Co., Inc. v. United States
- Hatahley v. United States
- Dalehite v. United States
- Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Co. v. United States
- Rayonier Incorporated v. United States
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Rice v. Sioux City Memorial Park Cemetery, Inc.
- Diehl v. Lehigh Valley Railroad Co.
- United States v. Menasche
- Shomberg v. United States
- Pino v. Landon
- Shaughnessy v. Pedreiro
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