United States v. Shirey
359 U.S. 255 · Decided April 20, 1959 · 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. Shirey was decided on April 20, 1959 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Governmental corruption or regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 359 U.S. 255 · 79 S. Ct. 746 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 789 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1753
- Docket number
- 72
- Decided
- April 20, 1959
- Argued
- January 19, 1959
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental corruption or regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 214
- 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 Felix Frankfurter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent |
Full case caption
United States v. Shirey
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-074, docket 1958-074-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental corruption or regulation”
- Barr v. Matteo
- Howard v. Lyons
- Worz, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
- Sangamon Valley Television Corp. v. United States
- Wirl Television Corp. v. United States
- United States v. Mississippi Valley Generating Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Moore v. Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
- Sangamon Valley Television Corp. v. United States
- Wirl Television Corp. v. United States
- Deen v. Hickman
- Worz, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
- Boston & Maine Railroad 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