United States v. Bell Aircraft Corp.
344 U.S. 860 · Decided October 27, 1952 · 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
United States v. Bell Aircraft Corp. was decided on October 27, 1952 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 344 U.S. 860 · 73 S. Ct. 102 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 668 · 1952 U.S. LEXIS 1616
- Docket number
- 13
- Decided
- October 27, 1952
- Argued
- October 16, 1952
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: Robert H. Jackson.
Full case caption
United States v. Bell Aircraft Corp.
SCDB identifiers: case 1952-160, docket 1952-160-01.
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