Atlantic City Electric Co. v. United States
400 U.S. 73 · Decided December 8, 1970 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Atlantic City Electric Co. v. United States was decided on December 8, 1970 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Electric power regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 400 U.S. 73 · 91 S. Ct. 259 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 212 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 236
- Docket number
- 78
- Decided
- December 8, 1970
- Argued
- November 12, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Electric power regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
Atlantic City Electric Co. et al. v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-012, docket 1970-012-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Electric power regulation”
- Gainesville Utilities Department v. Florida Power Corp.
- Federal Power Commission v. Florida Power & Light Co.
- Gulf States Utilities Co. v. Federal Power Commission
- Federal Power Commission v. New England Power Co.
- Chemehuevi Tribe of Indians v. Federal Power Commission
- Federal Power Commission v. Conway Corp.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Lines v. Frederick
- Hickel v. Oil Shale Corp.
- U.S. Bulk Carriers, Inc. v. Arguelles
- Usner v. Luckenbach Overseas Corp.
- Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc.
- Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe
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