Also known as: admiralitas · maritime law · admiralty jurisdiction
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A federal court's authority over maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offenses. Article III of the Constitution extends the judicial power to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction. Federal procedural rules apply in such proceedings.
Anita Ali, owner of a cargo vessel, sued a foreign shipper in federal district court after a collision on navigable waters caused extensive damage. The complaint invoked Article III to establish federal authority over the maritime dispute. The court exercised its admiralty power to hear the case and determine liability.
Alpine Mining filed an admiralty action in federal court seeking damages for lost cargo during a storm at sea. The defendant objected to certain witness statements as hearsay. The court applied the Federal Rules of Evidence because they govern civil proceedings that include admiralty cases.
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Anthony Arnold appealed a district court decree that apportioned fault after a vessel grounding. The court of appeals reviewed the interlocutory order because the dispute fell within admiralty jurisdiction under the Constitution. The appellate court exercised its authority to address the rights of the parties.
Astra Aerospace contracted with a tug operator to move its offshore platform across the Gulf. After storm damage, Astra sued in a U.S. district court despite a clause requiring English courts. The court considered enforcement of the forum clause in the admiralty action.
Andre Antoine brought a shareholder derivative suit involving a maritime corporation's contracts. He demanded a jury on the legal claims. The court noted that admiralty matters historically fall outside the Seventh Amendment jury guarantee.
Aurora Biotech and a shipping line agreed to arbitrate any cargo damage claims arising from ocean transport. When a dispute arose, one party sought to avoid arbitration. The court enforced the agreement because federal policy favors arbitration of admiralty contracts.
No. A plaintiff may bring a maritime claim as an ordinary civil action under diversity or federal question jurisdiction and preserve the jury right by timely demand. Designation under Rule 9(h) as an admiralty claim eliminates the jury, but the choice belongs to the plaintiff.
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Article III, Section 2 extends the judicial power to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction. Congress has implemented this grant through statutes giving district courts original jurisdiction over such matters.
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No. Admiralty jurisdiction is textually committed to the judicial power under Article III. Assigning such disputes exclusively to a non-Article III body violates separation of powers.
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…(“It creates no new legislation, grants no new rights, except a remedy to enforce an agreement in commercial contracts and in admiralty contracts”). As is well known, prior to the federal Act, many courts expressed hostility to arbitration, for example by refusing to order specific performance of agreements to arbitrate.…