Seatrain Shipbuilding Corp. v. Shell Oil Co.
444 U.S. 572 · Decided February 20, 1980 · 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
Seatrain Shipbuilding Corp. v. Shell Oil Co. was decided on February 20, 1980 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Judicial review of agency actions” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 444 U.S. 572 · 100 S. Ct. 800 · 63 L. Ed. 2d 36 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 24
- Docket number
- 78-1651
- Decided
- February 20, 1980
- Argued
- November 28, 1979
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Judicial review of agency actions
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 46 U.S.C. § 1156
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Seatrain Shipbuilding Corp. et al. v. Shell Oil Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-035, docket 1979-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Judicial review of agency actions”
- Strycker's Bay Neighborhood Council, Inc. v. Karlen
- United States v. Benmar Transport & Leasing Corp.
- United Gas Pipe Line Co. v. McCombs
- Southern Railway Co. v. Seaboard Allied Milling Corp.
- Federal Trade Commission v. Standard Oil Company of California
- Consolidated Rail Corporation v. National Association of Recycling Industries, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- United States v. Benmar Transport & Leasing Corp.
- Strycker's Bay Neighborhood Council, Inc. v. Karlen
- Estes v. Metropolitan Branches of the Dallas NAACP
- Crowell v. Mader
- Stafford, U.S. Attorney v. Briggs
- Massachusetts v. Meehan
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