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System Federation No. 91 v. Wright

364 U.S. 642 · Decided January 16, 1961 · 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

System Federation No. 91 v. Wright was decided on January 16, 1961 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John M. Harlan II wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Union or closed shop” in the Unions area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
364 U.S. 642 · 81 S. Ct. 368 · 5 L. Ed. 2d 349 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 2045
Docket number
48
Decided
January 16, 1961
Argued
December 5, 1960
Court era
Warren Court
Decision type
Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed and remanded
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
5–3
Majority opinion
John M. Harlan II
Opinion assigned by
Earl Warren
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Unions
Legal provision
Railway Labor Act
Type of law
Federal statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

Did not participate: Potter Stewart.

Full case caption

System Federation No. 91, Railway Employes' Department, AFL-CIO, et al. v. Wright et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1960-029, docket 1960-029-01.

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Cases on the same legal provision: Railway Labor Act

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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