Federal Crop Insurance Corp. v. Merrill
332 U.S. 380 · Decided November 10, 1947 · 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
Federal Crop Insurance Corp. v. Merrill was decided on November 10, 1947 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Felix Frankfurter 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
- 332 U.S. 380 · 68 S. Ct. 1 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 10 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 2856
- Docket number
- 45
- Decided
- November 10, 1947
- Argued
- October 16, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 7 U.S.C. § 1503
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- 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 | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Federal Crop Insurance Corp. v. Merrill et Al., Doing Business as Merrill Bros.
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-002, docket 1947-002-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- Priebe & Sons, Inc. v. United States
- United States v. Munsey Trust Co.
- United States v. N. Y. Rayon Importing Co., Inc.
- United States v. Thayer-West Point Hotel Co.
- United States v. Howard P. Foley Co., Inc.
- Farrell v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- International Salt Co., Inc. v. United States
- Priebe & Sons, Inc. v. United States
- Lillie v. Thompson
- Aero Mayflower Transit Co. v. Board of Railroad Commissioners of Montana
- Callen v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
- United States v. Sullivan
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