Sears v. Mackey
351 U.S. 427 · Decided June 11, 1956 · 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
Sears v. Mackey was decided on June 11, 1956 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harold H. Burton wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal rules of civil procedure” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 351 U.S. 427 · 76 S. Ct. 895 · 100 L. Ed. 2d 1297 · 1956 U.S. LEXIS 1847
- Docket number
- 34
- Decided
- June 11, 1956
- Argued
- February 28, 1956
- 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
- Harold H. Burton
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal rules of civil procedure
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
- Type of law
- Court rules
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. Mackey et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1955-093, docket 1955-093-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure
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- Jung v. K. & D. Mining Co., Inc.
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- United States v. Oregon State Medical Society
- Kaufman v. Societe Internationale Pour Participations Industrielles et Commerciales, S. A.
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Walton v. California.
- Nukk v. Shaughnessy
- Affronti v. United States
- National Labor Relations Board v. Warren Company, Inc.
- Secretary of Agriculture v. United States
- Doud v. Hodge
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