Volkswagenwerk Aktiengesellschaft v. Federal Maritime Commission
390 U.S. 261 · Decided March 6, 1968 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Volkswagenwerk Aktiengesellschaft v. Federal Maritime Commission was decided on March 6, 1968 by a vote of 7–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Boat transportation regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 390 U.S. 261 · 88 S. Ct. 929 · 19 L. Ed. 2d 1090 · 1968 U.S. LEXIS 2903
- Docket number
- 69
- Decided
- March 6, 1968
- Argued
- November 13, 1967
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Boat transportation regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 46 U.S.C. § 814
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Volkswagenwerk Aktiengesellschaft v. Federal Maritime Commission et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1967-076, docket 1967-076-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Boat transportation regulation”
- Massachusetts Trustees of Eastern Gas & Fuel Associates v. United States
- Federal Maritime Commission v. Seatrain Lines, Inc.
- Federal Maritime Board v. Isbrandtsen Company, Inc.
- Pan-Atlantic Steamship Corp. v. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Co.
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. Mechling
- United States v. Seatrain Lines, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: 46 U.S.C. § 814
- Federal Maritime Commission v. Aktiebolaget Svenska Amerika Linien
- Carnation Co. v. Pacific Westbound Conference
- Federal Maritime Commission v. Pacific Maritime Assn.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Wyandotte Transportation Co. v. United States
- United States v. Penn-Olin Chemical Co.
- Burke v. Ford
- Tcherepnin v. Knight
- Case-Swayne Co., Inc. v. Sunkist Growers, Inc.
- City of Pottsville 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