Felter v. Southern Pacific Co.
359 U.S. 326 · Decided April 27, 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
Felter v. Southern Pacific Co. was decided on April 27, 1959 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Union or closed shop” in the Unions area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 359 U.S. 326 · 79 S. Ct. 847 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 854 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1818
- Docket number
- 269
- Decided
- April 27, 1959
- Argued
- March 24, 1959
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Union or closed shop
- Issue area
- Unions
- Legal provision
- Railway Labor Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Felter v. Southern Pacific Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-081, docket 1958-081-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Union or closed shop”
- Local Lodge No. 1424 v. National Labor Relations Board
- System Federation No. 91 v. Wright
- Local 60 v. National Labor Relations Board
- Local 357 v. National Labor Relations Board
- National Labor Relations Board v. News Syndicate Co., Inc.
- International Typographical Union v. National Labor Relations Board
Cases on the same legal provision: Railway Labor Act
- Pennsylvania Railroad Co. v. Day
- Union Pacific Railroad Co. v. Price
- Conleyv. Gibson
- California v. Taylor
- Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Chicago River & Indiana Railroad Co.
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.
Same Term, same area (Unions)
- Mitchell v. Lublin
- Mitchell v. Kentucky Finance Co., Inc.
- National Labor Relations Board v. Cabot Carbon Co.
- National Labor Relations Board v. Fant Milling 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