CaseTrail

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
Legal provision
Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act
Type of law
Federal statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

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.

Other cases on “Election of remedies”

See all

Cases on the same legal provision: Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act

Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)

See all

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