United States v. Shannon
342 U.S. 288 · Decided January 14, 1952 · 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. Shannon was decided on January 14, 1952 by a vote of 5–4. 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
- 342 U.S. 288 · 72 S. Ct. 281 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 321 · 1952 U.S. LEXIS 2537
- Docket number
- 47
- Decided
- January 14, 1952
- Argued
- November 27, 1951
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 31 U.S.C. § 203
- 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 | Jurisdictional dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Shannon et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1951-031, docket 1951-031-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- United States v. Kelly
- McMahon v. United States
- United States v. Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co.
- United States v. Yellow Cab Co.
- De La Rama Steamship Co., Inc. v. United States
- Feres v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- McMahon v. United States
- Lorain Journal Co. v. United States
- United States v. Fortier
- Desper v. Starved Rock Ferry Co.
- United States v. Kelly
- Pillsbury v. United Engineering Co.
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