United States v. Cotton Valley Operators Committee
339 U.S. 940 · Decided April 24, 1950 · 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. Cotton Valley Operators Committee was decided on April 24, 1950 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
- 339 U.S. 940 · 70 S. Ct. 793 · 94 L. Ed. 2d 1356 · 1950 U.S. LEXIS 2598
- Docket number
- 490
- Decided
- April 24, 1950
- Argued
- April 18, 1950
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
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 Robert H. Jackson | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: Tom C. Clark.
Full case caption
United States v. Cotton Valley Operators Committee et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1949-112, docket 1949-112-01.
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