United States v. Wittek
337 U.S. 346 · Decided June 13, 1949 · 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. Wittek was decided on June 13, 1949 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harold H. Burton 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
- 337 U.S. 346 · 69 S. Ct. 1108 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 1406 · 1949 U.S. LEXIS 2937
- Docket number
- 473
- Decided
- June 13, 1949
- Argued
- April 20, 1949
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harold H. Burton
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 55 Stat. 788
- 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 Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Wittek
SCDB identifiers: case 1948-093, docket 1948-093-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Larson v. Domestic and Foreign Commerce Corp.
- Fink v. Shepard Steamship Co.
- Brooks v. United States
- Farrell v. United States
- United States v. Spelar
- United States v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Mandel Brothers, Inc. v. Wallace
- Ford Motor Co. v. United States
- Eckenrode v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
- Kordel v. United States
- United States v. Urbuteit
- Grand River Dam Authority v. Grand-Hydro
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