Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela v. Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Co.
137 S. Ct. 1312 · Decided May 1, 2017 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela v. Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Co. was decided on May 1, 2017 unanimously (8–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Jurisdiction of federal district or territorial courts” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2016
Case details
- Citations
- 137 S. Ct. 1312 · 197 L. Ed. 2d 663 · 2017 U.S. LEXIS 2802
- Docket number
- 15-423
- Decided
- May 1, 2017
- Argued
- November 2, 2016
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Did not participate: Neil M. Gorsuch.
Full case caption
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela v. Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 2016-010, docket 2016-010-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Jurisdiction of federal district or territorial courts”
- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. v. Haeger
- Lightfoot v. Cendant Mortgage Corp.
- In re United States
- Patchak v. Zinke
- Dietz v. Bouldin
- Merrill Lynch v. Manning
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Lightfoot v. Cendant Mortgage Corp.
- McLane Company v. EEOC
- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. v. Haeger
- Manrique v. United States
- Bank of America Corp. v. City of Miami
- Water Splash, Inc. v. Menon
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