West v. United States
361 U.S. 118 · Decided December 7, 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
West v. United States was decided on December 7, 1959 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed 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
- 361 U.S. 118 · 80 S. Ct. 189 · 4 L. Ed. 2d 161 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1756
- Docket number
- 11
- Decided
- December 7, 1959
- Argued
- November 12, 1959
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 46 U.S.C. § 781
- 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 Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
West v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1959-009, docket 1959-009-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- United States v. Isthmian Steamship Co.
- Petty v. Tennessee-Missouri Bridge Commission
- Wiener v. United States
- United States v. Neustadt et Ux.
- Roper v. United States
- United States v. New York
Cases on the same legal provision: 46 U.S.C. § 781
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Harris v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
- Conner v. Butler
- United States v. Seaboard Air Line Railroad Co.
- Sentilles v. Inter-Caribbean Shipping Corp.
- Braen v. Pfeifer Oil Transportation Co., Inc.
- Inman v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad 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