American Foreign Steamship Co. v. Matise
423 U.S. 150 · Decided December 16, 1975 · 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
American Foreign Steamship Co. v. Matise was decided on December 16, 1975 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 423 U.S. 150 · 96 S. Ct. 410 · 46 L. Ed. 2d 354 · 1975 U.S. LEXIS 127
- Docket number
- 74-966
- Decided
- December 16, 1975
- Argued
- October 14, 1975
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 46 U.S.C. § 596
- 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 | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| 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
American Foreign Steamship Co. v. Matise
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-019, docket 1975-019-01.
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- Transamerican Freight Lines, Inc. v. Brada Miller Freight Systems, Inc.
- Bangor Punta Operations, Inc. v. Bangor & Aroostook Railroad Co.
- Cooper Stevedoring Co., Inc. v. Fritz Kopke, Inc.
- J. W. Bateson Co., Inc. v. United States ex Rel. Board of Trustees of the National Automatic Sprinkler Industry Pension Fund
- Union Oil Co. of California v. the San Jacinto
- Director v. Rasmussen
Cases on the same legal provision: 46 U.S.C. § 596
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Day & Zimmermann, Inc. v. Challoner
- Transamerican Freight Lines, Inc. v. Brada Miller Freight Systems, Inc.
- Foremost-McKesson, Inc. v. Provident Securities Co.
- Michelin Tire Corp. v. WagesAltered precedent
- United States v. Bornstein
- Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., Inc. v. Cottrell
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