U.S. Bulk Carriers, Inc. v. Arguelles
400 U.S. 351 · Decided January 13, 1971 · 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
U.S. Bulk Carriers, Inc. v. Arguelles was decided on January 13, 1971 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 400 U.S. 351 · 91 S. Ct. 409 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 456 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 105
- Docket number
- 29
- Decided
- January 13, 1971
- Argued
- November 12, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Election of remedies
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 46 U.S.C. § 596
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Full case caption
U.S. Bulk Carriers, Inc. v. Arguelles
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-020, docket 1970-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- Moragne v. States Marine Lines, Inc.Altered precedent
- Hellenic Lines Ltd. v. Rhoditis
- McClanahan v. Morauer & Hartzell, Inc.
- Chevron Oil Co. v. Huson
- Victory Carriers, Inc. v. Law
- Nacirema Operating Co., Inc. v. Johnson
Cases on the same legal provision: 46 U.S.C. § 596
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Lines v. Frederick
- Hickel v. Oil Shale Corp.
- Atlantic City Electric Co. v. United States
- Usner v. Luckenbach Overseas Corp.
- Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc.
- Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe
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