Alcoa Steamship Co., Inc. v. United States
338 U.S. 421 · Decided December 19, 1949 · 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
Alcoa Steamship Co., Inc. v. United States was decided on December 19, 1949 by a vote of 6–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Stanley F. Reed 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
- 338 U.S. 421 · 70 S. Ct. 190 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 225 · 1949 U.S. LEXIS 2933
- Docket number
- 271
- Decided
- December 19, 1949
- Argued
- November 16, 1949
- 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
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Stanley F. Reed
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Tucker Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
Alcoa Steamship Co., Inc. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1949-023, docket 1949-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- United States v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.
- United States v. Spelar
- Larson v. Domestic and Foreign Commerce Corp.
- Fink v. Shepard Steamship Co.
- United States v. Wittek
- Brooks v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Tucker Act
- City of Fresno v. California
- Amell v. United States
- Richardson v. Morris
- Lee v. Thornton
- United States v. Testan
- Army and Air Force Exchange Service v. Sheehan
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- United States v. Spelar
- Treichler v. WisconsinLaw held unconstitutional
- Faulkner v. Gibbs
- Reilly v. Pinkus
- United States v. Capital Transit Company
- Brown v. Western Railway of Alabama
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