Parden v. Terminal Railway of the Alabama State Docks Department
377 U.S. 184 · Decided May 18, 1964 · 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
Parden v. Terminal Railway of the Alabama State Docks Department was decided on May 18, 1964 by a vote of 5–4. 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 “Governmental liability” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 377 U.S. 184 · 84 S. Ct. 1207 · 12 L. Ed. 2d 233 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 2161
- Docket number
- 157
- Decided
- May 18, 1964
- Argued
- February 26, 1964
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Parden et al. v. Terminal Railway of the Alabama State Docks Department et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-115, docket 1963-115-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- United States v. Muniz
- Maryland v. United States
- Weyerhaeuser Steamship Co. v. United States
- United States v. Maryland for the Use of Meyer
- Morales v. City of Galveston
- Roper v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Tipton v. Socony Mobil Oil Co., Inc.
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. Capital Gains Research Bureau, Inc.
- Dennis v. Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Co.
- Eichel v. New York Central Railroad Co.
- Polar Ice Cream & Creamery Co. v. AndrewsLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Wiesenfeld Warehouse 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