Vaughan v. Atkinson
369 U.S. 527 · Decided May 14, 1962 · 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
Vaughan v. Atkinson was decided on May 14, 1962 by a vote of 5–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability, miscellaneous” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 369 U.S. 527 · 82 S. Ct. 997 · 8 L. Ed. 2d 88 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 2142
- Docket number
- 323
- Decided
- May 14, 1962
- Argued
- March 22, 1962
- 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
- 5–2
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Felix Frankfurter, Byron R. White.
Full case caption
Vaughan v. Atkinson et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-064, docket 1961-064-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability, miscellaneous”
- Guzman v. Pichirilo
- Still v. Norfolk & Western Railway Co.
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- Waterman Steamship Corp. v. Dugan & McNamara, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Roper v. United States
- Martin v. Walton
- Still v. Norfolk & Western Railway Co.
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. J-T Transport Co., Inc.
- Federal Trade Commission v. Henry Broch & Co.
- United States v. Drum
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