Pennzoil Co. v. Texaco Inc.
481 U.S. 1 · Decided April 6, 1987 · 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
Pennzoil Co. v. Texaco Inc. was decided on April 6, 1987 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Comity, removal cases and foreign tribunals” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 481 U.S. 1 · 107 S. Ct. 1519 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 1515
- Docket number
- 85-1798
- Decided
- April 6, 1987
- Argued
- January 12, 1987
- 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
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, removal cases and foreign tribunals
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Abstention doctrine
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Pennzoil Co. v. Texaco Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-065, docket 1986-065-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: Abstention doctrine
- Middlesex County Ethics Committee v. Garden State Bar Association
- Juidice v. Vail
- Bellotti v. Baird
- Hicks v. Miranda
- Huffman v. Pursue, Ltd.
- Harris County Commissioners Court v. Moore
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Cerbone v. Conway
- Burke v. Barnes
- Wright v. City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority
- Burlington Northern Railroad Co. v. Woods
- Iowa Mutual Insurance Co. v. Laplante
- Stringfellow v. Concerned Neighbors in Action
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