Hughes Tool Co. v. Trans World Airlines, Inc.
409 U.S. 363 · Decided January 10, 1973 · 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
Hughes Tool Co. v. Trans World Airlines, Inc. was decided on January 10, 1973 by a vote of 6–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Antitrust” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 409 U.S. 363 · 93 S. Ct. 647 · 34 L. Ed. 2d 577 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 143
- Docket number
- 71-827
- Decided
- January 10, 1973
- Argued
- October 10, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Antitrust
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 49 U.S.C. § 1378
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Hughes Tool Co. et al. v. Trans World Airlines, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-031, docket 1972-031-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Antitrust”
- Ricci v. Chicago Mercantile Exchange
- United States v. Glaxo Group Ltd.
- Otter Tail Power Co. v. United States
- Flood v. Kuhn
- United States v. Topco Associates, Inc.
- Federal Trade Commission v. Sperry & Hutchinson Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gottschalk v. Benson
- Evco v. JonesLaw held unconstitutional
- Union Oil Co. of California v. the San Jacinto
- Executive Jet Aviation, Inc. v. City of Cleveland
- Heublein, Inc. v. South Carolina Tax Commission
- Ricci v. Chicago Mercantile Exchange
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