Union Oil Co. of California v. the San Jacinto
409 U.S. 140 · Decided December 5, 1972 · 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
Union Oil Co. of California v. the San Jacinto was decided on December 5, 1972 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability, miscellaneous” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 409 U.S. 140 · 93 S. Ct. 368 · 34 L. Ed. 2d 365 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 113
- Docket number
- 71-900
- Decided
- December 5, 1972
- Argued
- October 17, 1972
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 33 U.S.C. § 192
- 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| 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 | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Union Oil Co. of California v. the San Jacinto et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-016, docket 1972-016-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability, miscellaneous”
- Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co. v. Erie Lackawanna Railroad Co.
- Cooper Stevedoring Co., Inc. v. Fritz Kopke, Inc.
- Bangor Punta Operations, Inc. v. Bangor & Aroostook Railroad Co.
- Usner v. Luckenbach Overseas Corp.
- Transamerican Freight Lines, Inc. v. Brada Miller Freight Systems, Inc.
- American Foreign Steamship Co. v. Matise
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gottschalk v. Benson
- Evco v. JonesLaw held unconstitutional
- Executive Jet Aviation, Inc. v. City of Cleveland
- Heublein, Inc. v. South Carolina Tax Commission
- Ricci v. Chicago Mercantile Exchange
- Hughes Tool Co. v. Trans World Airlines, Inc.
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