Graham v. John Deere Co. of Kansas City
383 U.S. 1 · Decided February 21, 1966 · 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
Graham v. John Deere Co. of Kansas City was decided on February 21, 1966 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Patents” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 383 U.S. 1 · 86 S. Ct. 684 · 15 L. Ed. 2d 545 · 1966 U.S. LEXIS 2908
- Docket number
- 11
- Decided
- February 21, 1966
- Argued
- October 14, 1965
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Patents
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 35 U.S.C. § 103
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| 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 |
Did not participate: Abe Fortas.
Full case caption
Graham et al. v. John Deere Co. of Kansas City et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1965-047, docket 1965-047-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Patents”
- United States v. Adams
- Brenner v. Manson
- Hazeltine Research, Inc. v. Brenner
- Brulotte v. Thys Co.
- Wilbur-Ellis Co. v. Kuther
- Aro Manufacturing Co., Inc. v. Convertible Top Replacement Co., Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: 35 U.S.C. § 103
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gondeck v. Pan American World Airways, Inc.
- Leh v. General Petroleum Corp.
- Seaboard Air Line Railroad Co. v. United States
- United States v. Maryland for the Use of Meyer
- Walker Process Equipment, Inc. v. Food Machinery & Chemical Corp.
- United Gas Improvement Co. v. Callery Properties, Inc.
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