Cortez Byrd Chips, Inc. v. Bill Harbert Construction Co., a Division of Bill Harbert International, Inc.

Summary

The Supreme Court held that the venue provisions of the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§9‑11, are permissive rather than restrictive. Accordingly, a motion to vacate or modify an arbitration award may be filed in any district proper under the general venue statute, not only in the district where the award was rendered. The Court reversed the Eleventh Circuit and remanded for further proceedings consistent with this interpretation.