Williams v. Fanning
332 U.S. 490 · Decided December 8, 1947 · 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
Williams v. Fanning was decided on December 8, 1947 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Judicial review of agency actions” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 332 U.S. 490 · 68 S. Ct. 188 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 95 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 1547
- Docket number
- 47
- Decided
- December 8, 1947
- Argued
- October 22, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Judicial review of agency actions
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Dissent |
Full case caption
Williams et al. v. Fanning, Postmaster of Los Angeles
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-012, docket 1947-012-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Judicial review of agency actions”
- Chicago & Southern Air Lines, Inc. v. Waterman Steamship Corp.
- Parker v. Fleming
- Patterson v. Lamb
- United States v. Interstate Commerce Commission
- National Labor Relations Board v. Pittsburgh Steamship Co.
- United States v. Moorman
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Globe Liquor Co., Inc. v. San Roman
- Musser v. Utah
- Chicago & Southern Air Lines, Inc. v. Waterman Steamship Corp.
- King v. Order of United Commercial Travelers of America
- Suttle v. Reich Bros. Construction Co.
- Eccles v. Peoples Bank of Lakewood Village
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