United States v. Standard Oil

Plaintiff

U.S. Justice Department

Defendant

Standard Oil of New Jersey

Plaintiff's Claim

That Standard Oil was a monopoly and engaged in a conspiracy of restraint of trade.

Chief Lawyer for Plaintiff

Frank B. Kellogg

Chief Defense Lawyer

John G. Milburn

Justices for the Court

William Rufus Day, John Marshall Harlan I, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Charles Evans Hughes, Joseph Rucker Lamar, Horace Harmon Lurton, Joseph McKenna, Willis Van Devanter, Edward Douglass White

Justices Dissenting

None

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

15 May 1911

Decision

Sustained the circuit court dissolution order.

Significance

Although the Court sustained the order to dissolve Standard Oil by introducing the "rule of reason," the Court opened the door to future collaboration in restraint of trade among the component companies.

Related Cases

• Puerto Rico v. Shell Co., 302 U.S. 253 (1937).
• United States v. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., 351 U.S. 377 (1956).
• Berkey Photo, Inc. v. Eastman Kodak Co., 603 F.2d 263 (2nd Cir. 1979).

Further Readings

• Bringhurst, Bruce. Antitrust and the Oil Monopoly, The Standard Oil Cases, 1890-1911. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1979.
• Miller, Arthur S. The Supreme Court and American Capitalism. New York: Free Press, 1968.
• Nash, Gerald P. United States Oil Policy, 1890-1914. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1968.