Chick Kam Choo et al. v. Exxon Corp. et al.

Decided May 16, 1988. Sandra Day O'Connor delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 87-505 · 486 U.S. 140 (1988) · Cited 503 times

Holding

Because the District Court's injunction barring the state court proceedings is broader than is necessary "to protect or effectuate" that court's 1980 judgment dismissing petitioner's lawsuit from federal court, this case must be remanded for the entry of a more narrowly tailored order.

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 9–0.

“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.

• Atlantic Coast Line Railroad v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers · 398 U.S. 281 (1970)
• Amalgamated Clothing Workers v. Richman Bros. · 348 U.S. 511 (1955)
• Gulf Oil Corp. v. Gilbert · 330 U.S. 501 (1947)
• Lauritzen v. Larsen · 345 U.S. 571 (1953)
• Offshore Logistics, Inc. v. Tallentire · 477 U.S. 207 (1986)
• Pennzoil Co. v. Texaco Inc. · 481 U.S. 1 (1987)
• Southern Pacific Company v. Jensen · 244 U.S. 205 (1916)
• Romero v. International Terminal Operating Co. · 358 U.S. 354 (1959)
• Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Jacksonville Terminal Co. · 394 U.S. 369 (1969)
• Vendo Co. v. Lektro-Vend Corp. · 433 U.S. 623 (1977)
• Hellenic Lines Ltd. v. Rhoditis · 398 U.S. 306 (1970)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Smith v. Bayer Corp. · 564 U.S. 299 (2011)
• Sinochem International Co. v. Malaysia International Shipping Corp. · 549 U.S. 422 (2007)
• American Dredging Co. v. Miller · 510 U.S. 443 (1994)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1988). 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).