Hellenic Lines Ltd. et al. v. Rhoditis
Decided June 8, 1970. William Orville Douglas delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 661 · 398 U.S. 306 (1970) · Cited 385 times
We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.
How the Justices voted
Decided 5–3.
Majority · 5
- William Orville Douglas · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Byron Raymond White
- Hugo Lafayette Black
- Thurgood Marshall
- William Joseph Brennan Jr.
Dissenting · 3
- John Marshall Harlan · filed a dissenting opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Warren Earl Burger
“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.
- Lauritzen v. Larsen · 345 U.S. 571 (1953)
- Steele v. Bulova Watch Co. · 344 U.S. 280 (1952)
- Skiriotes v. Florida · 313 U.S. 69 (1941)
- Romero v. International Terminal Operating Co. · 358 U.S. 354 (1959)
- McCulloch v. Sociedad Nacional De Marineros De Honduras · 372 U.S. 10 (1963)
- United States v. Flores · 289 U.S. 137 (1933)
- Kwong Hai Chew v. Colding · 344 U.S. 590 (1953)
- Continental Ore Co. v. Union Carbide & Carbon Corp. · 370 U.S. 690 (1962)
- Bridges v. Wixon · 326 U.S. 135 (1945)
- Murray v. Schooner Charming Betsy · 6 U.S. 64 (1804)
- Home Insurance v. Dick · 281 U.S. 397 (1930)
- Cunard Steamship Co. v. Mellon · 262 U.S. 100 (1923)
- Watson v. Employers Liability Assurance Corp. · 348 U.S. 66 (1954)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Arabian American Oil Co. · 499 U.S. 244 (1991)
- Chick Kam Choo v. Exxon Corp. · 486 U.S. 140 (1988)
- Sale v. Haitian Centers Council, Inc. · 509 U.S. 155 (1993)
- Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd. · 545 U.S. 119 (2005)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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William Orville Douglas’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). 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).