United States v. Nielson
349 U.S. 129 · Decided May 16, 1955 · 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. Nielson was decided on May 16, 1955 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Hugo L. Black 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
- 349 U.S. 129 · 75 S. Ct. 654 · 99 L. Ed. 2d 939 · 1955 U.S. LEXIS 1395
- Docket number
- 210
- Decided
- May 16, 1955
- Argued
- March 1, 1955
- 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
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority |
Did not participate: John M. Harlan II.
Full case caption
United States, as Owner of the Christopher Gale, v. Nielson et Al., Trading as Dauntless Towing Line
SCDB identifiers: case 1954-075, docket 1954-075-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Williams v. United States.
- Indian Towing Co., Inc. v. United States
- General Box Co. v. United States
- Hatahley v. United States
- United States v. Gilman
- United States v. Lindsay
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- McAllister v. United States
- Watson et Ux. v. Employers Liability Assurance Corporation, Ltd.
- Moore v. Mead's Fine Bread Co.
- Cox v. Roth
- United States v. Shubert
- United States v. International Boxing Club of New York, Inc.
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