Shade v. Downing
333 U.S. 586 · Decided April 5, 1948 · 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
Shade v. Downing was decided on April 5, 1948 by a vote of 6–3. SCDB codes the disposition as “certification to or from a lower court.” Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Indians (general)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 333 U.S. 586 · 68 S. Ct. 702 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 894 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 2336
- Docket number
- 448
- Decided
- April 5, 1948
- Argued
- February 11, 1948
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Certification to or from a lower court
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certification
- Issue (SCDB)
- Indians (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 40 Stat. 606
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Shade v. Downing et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-063, docket 1947-063-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Indians (general)”
- Confederated Bands of Ute Indians v. United States
- Hynes v. Grimes Packing Co.
- United States v. Alcea Band of Tillamooks
- United States v. Alcea Band of Tillamooks
- Squire v. Capoeman et Ux.
- Poafpybitty v. Skelly Oil Co.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Delgadillo v. Carmichael
- Patton v. Mississippi
- Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
- Oyama v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Le Maistre v. Leffers
- Fong Haw Tan v. Phelan
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