Sun Ship, Inc. v. Pennsylvania
447 U.S. 715 · Decided June 23, 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
Sun Ship, Inc. v. Pennsylvania was decided on June 23, 1980 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 447 U.S. 715 · 100 S. Ct. 2432 · 65 L. Ed. 2d 458 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 50
- Docket number
- 79-343
- Decided
- June 23, 1980
- Argued
- April 14, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Sun Ship, Inc. v. Pennsylvania et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-132, docket 1979-132-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Election of remedies”
- Thomas v. Washington Gas Light Co.Altered precedent
- American Export Lines, Inc. v. Alvez
- Bloomer v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.
- Potomac Electric Power Co. v. Director
- Rodriguez v. Compass Shipping Co., Ltd.
- Foremost Insurance Co. v. Richardson
Cases on the same legal provision: Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act
- P. C. Pfeiffer Co., Inc. v. Ford
- Scindia Steam Navigation Co., Ltd. v. de Los Santos
- Edmonds v. Compagnie Generale Transatlantique
- Director v. Rasmussen
- U.S. Industries/federal Sheet Metal, Inc. v. Director
- Morrison-Knudsen Construction Co. v. Director
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Transamerica Mortgage Advisors, Inc. v. Lewis
- P. C. Pfeiffer Co., Inc. v. Ford
- United States v. Kubrick
- Ferri v. Ackerman
- McLain v. Real Estate Board of New Orleans, Inc.
- Hatzlachh Supply Co., Inc. v. United States
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