Richards v. United States
369 U.S. 1 · Decided February 26, 1962 · 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
Richards v. United States was decided on February 26, 1962 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 369 U.S. 1 · 82 S. Ct. 585 · 7 L. Ed. 2d 492 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 2172
- Docket number
- 59
- Decided
- February 26, 1962
- Argued
- November 15, 1961
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Election of remedies
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- 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 Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Richards et al. v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-037, docket 1961-037-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- Calbeck v. Travelers Insurance Co.
- Kossick v. United Fruit Co.
- Nolan v. Transocean Air Lines
- Schilling v. Rogers
- Hess v. United States
- Goett v. Union Carbide Corp.
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Tort Claims Act or Alien Tort Statute
- United States v. Neustadt et Ux.
- United States v. Muniz
- Maryland v. United States
- Rayonier Incorporated v. United States
- Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Co. v. United States
- Hatahley v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Roper v. United States
- Martin v. Walton
- Still v. Norfolk & Western Railway Co.
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. J-T Transport Co., Inc.
- Federal Trade Commission v. Henry Broch & Co.
- United States v. Drum
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