The U.S. Supreme Court case Standard-Vacuum Oil Co. v. United States in 1949 revolved around the issue of whether or not a corporation, incorporated under Delaware law but with its principal place of business in New York, could be considered an inhabitant of New York for purposes of venue under Section 12 of the Clayton Act (which governs antitrust and competition issues). The government had filed a civil suit against Standard Vacuum Oil Company alleging violations to anti-trust laws and sought to have it tried in New York where most witnesses were located. However, the company argued that as per their incorporation documents they should be considered inhabitants only within Delaware jurisdiction. The Supreme Court ruled against Standard Vacuum Oil Company stating that for purposes related to legal proceedings such as trials; corporations are deemed inhabitants not just where they are incorporated but also where they maintain their principal place of business. This decision was significant because it clarified how 'inhabitancy' is determined for corporations regarding legal venues which has implications on trial logistics including witness availability and convenience.

In the dissenting opinion for the Standard-Vacuum Oil Co. v. United States case, it was argued that there was no violation of antitrust laws by Standard Vacuum Oil Company (Stanvac). The dissenting justices believed that Stanvac's operations in Asia did not constitute a monopoly as they were part of a highly competitive market with other major oil companies such as Shell and Caltex. They also pointed out that Stanvac had been formed to comply with previous court rulings which prohibited American oil companies from owning foreign subsidiaries directly. Therefore, they felt it was unfair to penalize Stanvac for adhering to these rules while its competitors were allowed to operate freely overseas without similar restrictions. Furthermore, they disagreed with the majority's interpretation of Section 3 of the Sherman Act and contended that this section only applied within U.S territory or against trade directly affecting domestic commerce but not on purely foreign transactions.