Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc. v. Shute et Vir
Decided April 17, 1991. Harry Andrew Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 89-1647 · 499 U.S. 585 (1991) · Cited 1,405 times
Holding
The Court of Appeals erred in refusing to enforce the forum-selection clause.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 7–2.
Majority · 7
- Harry Andrew Blackmun · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Anthony McLeod Kennedy
- Antonin Scalia
- Byron Raymond White
- David Hackett Souter
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
Dissenting · 2
- John Paul Stevens · filed a dissenting opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- The Bremen v. Zapata Off-Shore Co. · 407 U.S. 1 (1972)
- Stewart Organization, Inc. v. Ricoh Corp. · 487 U.S. 22 (1988)
- The Kensington · 183 U.S. 263 (1902)
- Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley Authority · 297 U.S. 288 (1936)
- Moskal v. United States · 498 U.S. 103 (1990)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Vimar Seguros Y Reaseguros, S. A. v. M/V Sky Reefer · 515 U.S. 528 (1995)
- Great Lakes Ins. SE v. Raiders Retreat Realty Co. · 601 U.S. 65 (2024)
- Gisbrecht v. Barnhart · 535 U.S. 789 (2002)
- Gregory v. Ashcroft · 501 U.S. 452 (1991)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Harry Andrew Blackmun’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1991). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).