United States v. Williams
341 U.S. 70 · Decided April 23, 1951 · 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. Williams was decided on April 23, 1951 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 341 U.S. 70 · 71 S. Ct. 581 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 758 · 1951 U.S. LEXIS 2420
- Docket number
- 26
- Decided
- April 23, 1951
- Argued
- January 8, 1951
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 241
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Williams et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1950-063, docket 1950-063-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Williams v. United States
- Tenney v. Brandhove
- Collins v. Hardyman
- Monroe v. Pape
- Egan v. City of Aurora
- United States v. Guest
Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C. § 241
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Ackermann v. United States
- Robertson v. Chambers
- Moser v. United States
- United States v. Alcea Band of Tillamooks
- Shepherd v. Florida
- Williams 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