Devries v. Baumgartner's Electric Construction Co.
359 U.S. 498 · Decided May 18, 1959 · 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
Devries v. Baumgartner's Electric Construction Co. was decided on May 18, 1959 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 359 U.S. 498 · 79 S. Ct. 1117 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 976 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1860
- Docket number
- 551
- Decided
- May 18, 1959
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
Full case caption
Devries et al. v. Baumgartner's Electric Construction Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-091, docket 1958-091-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state court jurisdiction”
- Plumbers v. County of Door
- San Diego Building Trades Council v. Garmon
- Hotel Employees Union v. Sax Enterprises, Inc.
- Superior Court of Washington for King County v. Washington ex Rel. Yellow Cab Service, Inc.
- International Association of Machinists v. Gonzales
- International Union v. Russell
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Hotel Employees Union v. Sax Enterprises, Inc.
- Local 24 v. Oliver
- San Diego Building Trades Council v. Garmon
- Plumbers v. County of Door
- Bibb v. Navajo Freight Lines, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
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