Askew v. American Waterways Operators, Inc.
411 U.S. 325 · Decided April 18, 1973 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Askew v. American Waterways Operators, Inc. was decided on April 18, 1973 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Natural resources and environmental protection” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 411 U.S. 325 · 93 S. Ct. 1590 · 36 L. Ed. 2d 280 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 139
- Docket number
- 71-1082
- Decided
- April 18, 1973
- Argued
- November 14, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 33 U.S.C. § 1161
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Askew, Governor of Florida, et al. v. American Waterways Operators, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-096, docket 1972-096-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- United States v. Pennsylvania Industrial Chemical Corp.
- Fri v. Sierra Club
- United States v. Students Challenging Regulatory Agency Procedures
- Lake Carriers' Assn. v. Macmullan
- Illinois v. City of MilwaukeeAltered precedent
- Washington v. General Motors Corp.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gottschalk v. Benson
- Evco v. JonesLaw held unconstitutional
- Union Oil Co. of California v. the San Jacinto
- Executive Jet Aviation, Inc. v. City of Cleveland
- Heublein, Inc. v. South Carolina Tax Commission
- Ricci v. Chicago Mercantile Exchange
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error