Williams v. United States
341 U.S. 97 · Decided April 23, 1951 · 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
Williams v. United States was decided on April 23, 1951 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 341 U.S. 97 · 71 S. Ct. 576 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 774 · 1951 U.S. LEXIS 2421
- Docket number
- 365
- Decided
- April 23, 1951
- Argued
- January 8, 1951
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
Full case caption
Williams v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1950-064, docket 1950-064-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- United States v. Williams
- Tenney v. Brandhove
- Collins v. Hardyman
- Monroe v. Pape
- Egan v. City of Aurora
- United States v. Guest
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
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- Phillips Petroleum Co. v. Oklahoma
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- Day-Brite Lighting, Inc. v. Missouri
- Perkins v. Benguet Consolidated Mining Co.
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Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Ackermann v. United States
- Robertson v. Chambers
- Moser v. United States
- United States v. Alcea Band of Tillamooks
- Shepherd v. Florida
- United States v. Williams
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