A. L. Mechling Barge Lines, Inc., et al. v. United States et al.
Decided December 18, 1961. William Joseph Brennan Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 41 · 368 U.S. 324 (1961) · Cited 226 times
We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.
How the Justices voted
Decided 5–4.
Majority · 5
- William Joseph Brennan Jr. · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Charles Evans Whittaker
- Felix Frankfurter
- John Marshall Harlan
- Potter Stewart
Dissenting · 4
- Earl Warren
- Hugo Lafayette Black
- Tom C. Clark · filed a dissenting opinion
- William Orville Douglas
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- United States v. Munsingwear, Inc. · 340 U.S. 36 (1950)
- Public Serv. Comm'n of Utah v. Wycoff Co. · 344 U.S. 237 (1952)
- Lambert Run Coal Co. v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad · 258 U.S. 377 (1922)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- County of Los Angeles v. Davis · 440 U.S. 625 (1979)
- Public Affairs Associates, Inc. v. Rickover · 369 U.S. 111 (1962)
- Bank of Marin v. England · 385 U.S. 99 (1966)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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William Joseph Brennan Jr.’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).