Potomac Electric Power Co. v. Director
449 U.S. 268 · Decided December 15, 1980 · 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
Potomac Electric Power Co. v. Director was decided on December 15, 1980 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Election of remedies” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 449 U.S. 268 · 101 S. Ct. 509 · 66 L. Ed. 2d 446 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 57
- Docket number
- 79-816
- Decided
- December 15, 1980
- Argued
- October 8, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Election of remedies
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative 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 | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Potomac Electric Power Co. v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, U.S. Department of Labor, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-018, docket 1980-018-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- Rodriguez v. Compass Shipping Co., Ltd.
- Thomas v. Washington Gas Light Co.Altered precedent
- Sun Ship, Inc. v. Pennsylvania
- American Export Lines, Inc. v. Alvez
- Bloomer v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.
- Foremost Insurance Co. v. Richardson
Cases on the same legal provision: Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act
- Scindia Steam Navigation Co., Ltd. v. de Los Santos
- P. C. Pfeiffer Co., Inc. v. Ford
- U.S. Industries/federal Sheet Metal, Inc. v. Director
- Edmonds v. Compagnie Generale Transatlantique
- Director v. Rasmussen
- Morrison-Knudsen Construction Co. v. Director
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Environmental Protection Agency v. National Crushed Stone Association
- Minnesota v. Clover Leaf Creamery Co.
- Board of Governors of Federal Reserve System v. Investment Company Institute
- Steadman v. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Diamond v. Diehr
- Diamond v. Bradley
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