Exxon Corporation v. Central Gulf Lines, Inc.
500 U.S. 603 · Decided June 3, 1991 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Exxon Corporation v. Central Gulf Lines, Inc. was decided on June 3, 1991 unanimously (9–0). 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 “Federal question jurisdiction” in the Judicial Power area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 500 U.S. 603 · 111 S. Ct. 2071 · 114 L. Ed. 2d 649 · 1991 U.S. LEXIS 3022
- Docket number
- 90-34
- Decided
- June 3, 1991
- Argued
- April 15, 1991
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal question jurisdiction
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1333
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority |
Full case caption
Exxon Corporation v. Central Gulf Lines, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1990-093, docket 1990-093-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal question jurisdiction”
- Argentine Republic v. Amerada Hess Shipping Corp.
- Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc. v. Thompson
- Verlinden Bv v. Central Bank of Nigeria
- Thurston Motor Lines, Inc. v. Jordan K. Rand, Ltd.
- Donna E. Shalala v. Illinois Council on Long Term Care, Inc.
- Army and Air Force Exchange Service v. Sheehan
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1333
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Billy J. Temple v. Synthes Corporation, Ltd.
- Shirley W. Irwin v. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast, Inc. v. United Distribution Companies
- Firstier Mortgage Company v. Investors Mortgage Insurance Company
- Ohio v. Ediberto Huertas
- James A. Ford v. Georgia
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