First National City Bank v. Banco Nacional de Cuba
406 U.S. 759 · Decided June 7, 1972 · 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
First National City Bank v. Banco Nacional de Cuba was decided on June 7, 1972 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Act of State doctrine” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 406 U.S. 759 · 92 S. Ct. 1808 · 32 L. Ed. 2d 466 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 51
- Docket number
- 70-295
- Decided
- June 7, 1972
- Argued
- February 22, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Act of State doctrine
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
First National City Bank v. Banco Nacional de Cuba
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-130, docket 1971-130-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Act of State doctrine”
- Alfred Dunhill of London, Inc. v. Republic of Cuba
- Banco Nacional de Cuba v. Sabbatino
- W. S. Kirkpatrick & Co., Inc. v. Environmental Tectonics Corp.Altered precedent
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Hicks v. Pleasure House, Inc.
- Slayton v. Smith
- North Carolina v. Rice
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. Medical Committee for Human Rights
- Diffenderfer v. Central Baptist Church of Miami
- Board of Regents of the University of Texas System v. New Left Education Project
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