Griffin v. Oceanic Contractors, Inc.
458 U.S. 564 · Decided June 30, 1982 · 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
Griffin v. Oceanic Contractors, Inc. was decided on June 30, 1982 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability, miscellaneous” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 458 U.S. 564 · 102 S. Ct. 3245 · 73 L. Ed. 2d 973 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 48
- Docket number
- 81-614
- Decided
- June 30, 1982
- Argued
- April 26, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Jones Act or Death on the High Seas Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Griffin v. Oceanic Contractors, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-164, docket 1981-164-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability, miscellaneous”
- Morrison-Knudsen Construction Co. v. Director
- Scindia Steam Navigation Co., Ltd. v. de Los Santos
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Franklin Mint Corp.
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority v. Johnson
- Ferri v. Ackerman
- P. C. Pfeiffer Co., Inc. v. Ford
Cases on the same legal provision: Jones Act or Death on the High Seas Act
- Donovan v. Penn Shipping Co., Inc.
- Mercedel W. Miles v. Apex Marine Corporation
- American Dredging Company v. William Robert Miller
- Hellenic Lines Ltd. v. Rhoditis
- Tipton v. Socony Mobil Oil Co., Inc.
- Fitzgerald v. United States Lines Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Watt v. Energy Action Educational Foundation
- Central Trust Co. v. Official Creditors' Committee of Geiger Enterprises, Inc.
- United States v. Clark
- Community Communications Co., Inc. v. City of Boulder
- New England Power Co. v. New HampshireLaw held unconstitutional
- G.D. Searle & Co. v. Cohn
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