United States v. Knight
336 U.S. 505 · Decided April 4, 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. Knight was decided on April 4, 1949 by a vote of 5–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Bankruptcy” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 336 U.S. 505 · 69 S. Ct. 704 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 845 · 1949 U.S. LEXIS 3004
- Docket number
- 406
- Decided
- April 4, 1949
- Argued
- March 4, 1949
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–1
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Bankruptcy
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Bankruptcy Code or Bankruptcy Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Did not participate: Frank Murphy, Robert H. Jackson, Wiley B. Rutledge.
Full case caption
United States v. Knight
SCDB identifiers: case 1948-057, docket 1948-057-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Bankruptcy”
- City of New York v. Saper
- Leiman v. Guttman
- Manufacturers Trust Co. v. Becker
- Comstock v. Group of Institutional Investors
- Fahey v. Mallonee
- Williams v. Austrian
Cases on the same legal provision: Bankruptcy Code or Bankruptcy Act
- Callaway v. Benton
- Goggin v. Division of Labor Law Enforcement of California
- Maggio v. Zeitz
- Mosser v. Darrow
- Insurance Group Committee v. Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Co.
- Illinois ex Rel. Gordon v. Campbell
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Mandel Brothers, Inc. v. Wallace
- Ford Motor Co. v. United States
- Eckenrode v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
- Kordel v. United States
- United States v. Urbuteit
- Grand River Dam Authority v. Grand-Hydro
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