United States v. Standard Oil Co. of California
404 U.S. 558 · Decided January 24, 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
United States v. Standard Oil Co. of California was decided on January 24, 1972 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Antitrust” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 404 U.S. 558 · 92 S. Ct. 661 · 30 L. Ed. 2d 713 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 155
- Docket number
- 71-527
- Decided
- January 24, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Antitrust
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Sherman Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| 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 |
Full case caption
United States v. Standard Oil Co. of California
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-048, docket 1971-048-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Antitrust”
- United States v. Chas. Pfizer & Co., Inc.
- California Motor Transport Co. v. Trucking Unlimited
- Federal Trade Commission v. Sperry & Hutchinson Co.
- Hawaii v. Standard Oil Co. of California
- United States v. Topco Associates, Inc.
- Flood v. Kuhn
Cases on the same legal provision: Sherman Act
- Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc.
- United Mine Workers of America v. Pennington
- Local Union No. 189 v. Jewel Tea Co., Inc.
- United States v. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Lexington
- Los Angeles Meat & Provision Drivers Union v. United States
- Rice v. Norman Williams Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Superintendent of Insurance of New York v. Bankers Life & Casualty Co.
- McClanahan v. Morauer & Hartzell, Inc.
- Norfolk & Western Railroad Co. v. Nemitz
- Chevron Oil Co. v. Huson
- Victory Carriers, Inc. v. Law
- O'Keeffe v. Aerojet-General Shipyards, Inc.
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