Standard Oil Company of New Jersey v. United States (1900)

Docket
398
Decided
1900-1940-

Summary

Question: Did Standard Oil violate the Sherman Act? Conclusion: Standard Oil lost, but White, for the majority, managed to amend the language of the Sherman Act such that only "unreasonable" contracts and combinations in restraint of trade would violate the law. Heretofore, the Act made all contracts and combinations in retraint of trade into law violations. In this case, the record shows that the Standard Oil trust was unreasonable.

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