Douglas v. Seacoast Products, Inc.
431 U.S. 265 · Decided May 23, 1977 · 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
Douglas v. Seacoast Products, Inc. was decided on May 23, 1977 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 431 U.S. 265 · 97 S. Ct. 1740 · 52 L. Ed. 2d 304 · 1977 U.S. LEXIS 16
- Docket number
- 75-1255
- Decided
- May 23, 1977
- Argued
- January 17, 1977
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 46 U.S.C. § 251
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal 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. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Douglas, Commissioner, Virginia Marine Resources Commission v. Seacoast Products, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1976-109, docket 1976-109-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Massachusetts v. Westcott
- Jones v. Rath Packing Co.
- Malone v. White Motor Corp.
- Aronson v. Quick Point Pencil Co.
- New York Telephone Co. v. New York State Department of Labor
- Beasley v. Food Fair of North Carolina, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Oregon ex Rel. State Land Board v. Corvallis Sand & Gravel Co.Altered precedent
- United States v. County of Fresno
- United States v. Florida
- Farmer v. United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America
- Jones v. Rath Packing Co.
- Massachusetts v. Westcott
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