United States v. Mersky
361 U.S. 431 · Decided February 23, 1960 · 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. Mersky was decided on February 23, 1960 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Certification” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 361 U.S. 431 · 80 S. Ct. 459 · 4 L. Ed. 2d 423 · 1960 U.S. LEXIS 1887
- Docket number
- 31
- Decided
- February 23, 1960
- Argued
- November 10, 1959
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Certification
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 3731
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Mersky et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1959-034, docket 1959-034-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Certification”
- Civil Aeronautics Board v. American Air Transport, Inc.
- United States v. Sweet
- Terry L. Stewart v. Robert Douglas Smith
Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C. § 3731
- United States v. Braverman
- United States v. Jones
- United States v. Sisson
- United States v. Alejandro Garcia Ibarra
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- J. Aron & Company, Inc. v. Mississippi Shipping Company, Inc.
- De Simone v. United States
- Mitchell v. Oregon Frozen Foods Co.
- Local No. 8-6 v. Missouri
- Florida Lime and Avocado Growers, Inc. v. Jacobsen
- McGann 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