Petty v. Tennessee-Missouri Bridge Commission
359 U.S. 275 · Decided April 20, 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
Petty v. Tennessee-Missouri Bridge Commission was decided on April 20, 1959 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas 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
- 359 U.S. 275 · 79 S. Ct. 785 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 804 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 1763
- Docket number
- 233
- Decided
- April 20, 1959
- Argued
- March 4, 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 O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Governmental liability
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Eleventh Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Concurrence | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Concurrence | Co-authored an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Concurrence | Co-authored an opinion |
Full case caption
Petty, Administratrix, v. Tennessee-Missouri Bridge Commission
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-076, docket 1958-076-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Governmental liability”
- United States v. Isthmian Steamship Co.
- West v. United States
- Wiener v. United States
- United States v. New York
- United States v. Neustadt et Ux.
- Rayonier Incorporated v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- Edelman v. JordanAltered precedent
- Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle
- Alabama v. Pugh
- Quern v. Jordan
- Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services v. Florida Nursing Home Association
- Cory v. White
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Moore v. Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
- Sangamon Valley Television Corp. v. United States
- Wirl Television Corp. v. United States
- Deen v. Hickman
- Worz, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
- Boston & Maine Railroad v. United States
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