James v. United States (1961)

James v. United States
Argued November 17, 1960
Decided May 15, 1961
Full case nameJames v. United States
Citations366 U.S. 213 (more)
81 S. Ct. 1052; 6 L. Ed. 2d 246; 1961 U.S. LEXIS 2014; 61-1 U.S. Tax Cas. (CCH) ¶ 9449; 7 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1361; 1961-2 C.B. 9
Case history
PriorCertiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Holding
Ill-gotten gains are taxable income even if they must be repaid.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Earl Warren
Associate Justices
Hugo Black · Felix Frankfurter
William O. Douglas · Tom C. Clark
John M. Harlan II · William J. Brennan Jr.
Charles E. Whittaker · Potter Stewart
Case opinions
PluralityWarren, joined by Brennan, Stewart
Concur/dissentBlack, joined by Douglas
Concur/dissentClark
Concur/dissentHarlan, joined by Frankfurter
Concur/dissentWhittaker, joined by Black, Douglas
Laws applied
U.S. Const., U.S. Const. amend. XVI; I.R.C. § 61 (26 U.S.C. § 61)

James v. United States, 366 U.S. 213 (1961), was a case in which the United States Supreme Court held that the receipt of money obtained by a taxpayer illegally was taxable income even though the law might require the taxpayer to repay the ill-gotten gains to the person from whom they had been taken.