Also known as: admiralty jurisdiction · maritime jurisdiction · admiralty law · maritime law
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
The constitutional allocation of judicial authority to federal courts over all cases arising on navigable waters or involving maritime commerce and navigation. This grant supplies an independent basis for subject-matter jurisdiction that Congress may channel but may not eliminate from the Article III judiciary.
Alan Ackerman, a State S citizen, sued Alpine Mining in federal district court after cargo sustained water damage during transport on the Mississippi River. The complaint invoked the constitutional grant of authority over maritime matters. The court exercised jurisdiction because the claim arose on navigable waters and fell squarely within the federal judicial power.
Ava Adebayo, widow of a seaman killed when a vessel capsized on the high seas, brought a claim against the shipowner in federal court. The court recognized the action as one within admiralty jurisdiction and permitted recovery under federal maritime law even though no statute expressly created the remedy.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Austin Abbott sued American Dredging Co. in state court after suffering injury while working on a dredge in Louisiana waters. The defendant removed the case and moved to dismiss on forum non conveniens grounds. The court applied federal maritime standards to evaluate the motion because the underlying claim fell within admiralty jurisdiction.
Aether Technologies shipped goods under a bill of lading containing a Japanese arbitration clause. When cargo damage occurred at sea, the carrier moved to compel arbitration in federal court. The court treated the dispute as one arising under admiralty jurisdiction and enforced the clause after applying federal standards for validity.
Arcadia Retail hired The Bremen to tow an oil rig from Louisiana to Italy. A storm damaged the rig in the Gulf of Mexico, prompting suit in federal court. The court upheld the parties' forum-selection clause designating an English court because the underlying claim was governed by admiralty jurisdiction.
Albert Allen, a seaman, sued his employer in federal court for injuries sustained while loading cargo in a domestic port. The court exercised admiralty jurisdiction over the claim and applied uniform federal maritime rules rather than varying state tort standards.
No. Article III extends the judicial power to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction. Congress may create specialized tribunals and regulate appellate jurisdiction but cannot remove these cases entirely from Article III courts.
Supporting sources
No. Section 1333 grants original jurisdiction to the district courts but saves to suitors all other remedies to which they are otherwise entitled, allowing state courts to hear many maritime claims under the saving-to-suitors clause.
Supporting sources
A plaintiff may designate the claim when it falls within admiralty jurisdiction and also within some other ground of federal subject-matter jurisdiction. The designation affects the availability of certain procedures such as Rule 14(c) impleader and the Supplemental Rules.
Supporting sources
No. Admiralty jurisdiction extends to cases arising on navigable waters within the United States as well as on the high seas, provided the claim bears a sufficient connection to traditional maritime activity.
Supporting sources
…the cost of the cruise, I would remain persuaded that the clause was unenforceable under traditional principles of federal admiralty law and is “null and void” under the terms of Limitation of Vessel Owner’s Liability Act, ch. 521, 49 Stat. 1480, 46 U. S. C. App. §183c, which was enacted in 1936 to invalidate expressly…