Western Union Telegraph Co. v. Pennsylvania
368 U.S. 71 · Decided December 4, 1961 · 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
Western Union Telegraph Co. v. Pennsylvania was decided on December 4, 1961 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, jurisdiction over nonresidents” in the Due Process area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 368 U.S. 71 · 82 S. Ct. 199 · 7 L. Ed. 2d 139 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 60
- Docket number
- 15
- Decided
- December 4, 1961
- Argued
- October 12, 1961
- Court era
- Warren 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
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, jurisdiction over nonresidents
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Western Union Telegraph Co. v. Pennsylvania
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-006, docket 1961-006-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, jurisdiction over nonresidents”
- Hanson v. Denckla
- McGee v. International Life Insurance Co.
- Vanderbilt v. VanderbiltAltered precedent
- May v. Anderson
- Perkins v. Benguet Consolidated Mining Co.
- Travelers Health Association v. Virginia ex Rel. State Corporation Commission
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Garner v. Louisiana
- Cramp v. Board of Public Instruction of Orange CountyLaw held unconstitutional
- Oyler v. Boles
- Beck v. Washington
- Culombe v. Connecticut
- In re Green
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
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