Two U.S. Supreme Court justices said Monday they did not need to recuse themselves from participating in the recent cert denial of a case in which one of the parties was owned by United Technologies, a company whose stock they hold.

The employment dispute at issue is titled Feng v. Komenda. The aerospace company Rockwell Collins was acquired by United Technologies last November. According to their most recent financial disclosure reports, Justice Stephen Breyer owns up to $250,000 of United Technologies stock, and Justice Samuel Alito Jr. owns up to $50,000 in the company's stock.

Ordinarily that stock ownership conflict, first reported Monday by the transparency advocate Fix the Court, automatically would trigger recusal. Federal law bars judges from participating in cases in which they own even a single share of stock in a company that is a party.