Burnett v. New York Central Railroad Co.
380 U.S. 424 · Decided April 5, 1965 · 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
Burnett v. New York Central Railroad Co. was decided on April 5, 1965 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Arthur J. Goldberg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 380 U.S. 424 · 85 S. Ct. 1050 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 941 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 1483
- Docket number
- 437
- Decided
- April 5, 1965
- Argued
- March 11, 1965
- 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
- Arthur J. Goldberg
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Election of remedies
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Employers' Liability 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 | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Burnett v. New York Central Railroad Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-071, docket 1964-071-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- Crider v. Zurich Insurance Co.
- Gillespie v. United States Steel Corp.
- Gondeck v. Pan American World Airways, Inc.
- Amell v. United States
- United States v. Demko
- Walker v. Southern Railway Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Employers' Liability Act
- Davis v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.
- Dennis v. Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Co.
- Shenker v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.
- Basham v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
- Harrison v. Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.
- Gallick v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Brulotte v. Thys Co.
- Gillespie v. United States Steel Corp.
- King v. United States
- California v. Lo-Vaca Gathering Co.
- City of El Paso v. Simmons
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. American Trailer Rentals 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