In the case of Logue et al. v. United States (1972), the Supreme Court ruled that a county jail, which was holding a federal prisoner under contract with the U.S., could not be considered a federal agency or employee under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). The case arose when an inmate committed suicide in his cell and his wife sued for damages, alleging negligence on part of both local and federal authorities. The FTCA allows individuals to sue for injuries caused by negligent acts of government employees while acting within their official duties but excludes "any contractor with the United States." Since it was established that county jails are independent contractors rather than agencies or employees of the U.S., they were exempt from liability under FTCA. Therefore, Mrs.Logue's claim against them failed as per this ruling.

In the dissenting opinion for Logue v. United States, Justice Douglas argued that the majority's interpretation of the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) was too narrow and failed to hold government entities accountable for their actions. He contended that under FTCA, a federal agency should be held liable if it negligently supervises an independent contractor who causes harm. In this case, he believed that the U.S. Marshals Service should bear responsibility for failing to ensure safe conditions in county jails where federal prisoners were housed by contract. The majority's decision absolved them from liability on grounds they did not directly employ jail staff or control daily operations at these facilities; however, Douglas asserted this approach undermined Congress' intent when passing FTCA - to provide redress against negligent acts committed by those acting on behalf of U.S government.