Wilbur-Ellis Co. v. Kuther
377 U.S. 422 · Decided June 8, 1964 · 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
Wilbur-Ellis Co. v. Kuther was decided on June 8, 1964 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Patents” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 377 U.S. 422 · 84 S. Ct. 1561 · 12 L. Ed. 2d 419 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 2351
- Docket number
- 109
- Decided
- June 8, 1964
- Argued
- February 20, 1964
- 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Patents
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Wilbur-Ellis Co. et al. v. Kuther
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-134, docket 1963-134-01.
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Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Tipton v. Socony Mobil Oil Co., Inc.
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. Capital Gains Research Bureau, Inc.
- Dennis v. Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Co.
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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