Nelson v. Tennessee.
355 U.S. 271 · Decided December 16, 1957 · 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
Nelson v. Tennessee. was decided on December 16, 1957 unanimously (9–0). SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, no substantial federal question” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 355 U.S. 271 · 78 S. Ct. 327 · 2 L. Ed. 2d 257 · 1957 U.S. LEXIS 7
- Docket number
- 56
- Decided
- December 16, 1957
- Argued
- December 12, 1957
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, no substantial federal question
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative 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 Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority |
Full case caption
Nelson et al. v. Tennessee.
SCDB identifiers: case 1957-028, docket 1957-028-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “No merits, no substantial federal question”
- Ganger v. City of Miami.
- Walton v. California.
- Newsom v. Smyth
- Benz v. New York State Thruway Authority
- United States v. Haley
- Ioannou v. New York
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Conleyv. Gibson
- Williams v. Simons
- Rosenbloom v. United States
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.
- Virginia v. Maryland
- Reeves v. Alabama.
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