Atlantic Richfield Co. v. Christian
140 S. Ct. 1335 · Decided April 20, 2020 · 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
Atlantic Richfield Co. v. Christian was decided on April 20, 2020 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. 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
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2019
- Supreme Court of the United States — docket 17-1498
Case details
- Citations
- 140 S. Ct. 1335 · 206 L. Ed. 2d 516 · 2020 U.S. LEXIS 2405
- Docket number
- 17-1498
- Decided
- April 20, 2020
- Argued
- December 3, 2019
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9601
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority | |
| Justice Neil M. Gorsuch | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh | Majority |
Full case caption
Atlantic Richfield Co. v. Christian
SCDB identifiers: case 2019-022, docket 2019-022-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund
- U.S. Forest Service v. Cowpasture River Preservation Association
- Sturgeon v. Frost
- Guam v. United States
- Weyerhaeuser Company v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Rotkiske v. Klemm
- Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v. Jander
- Ritzen Group Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, LLC
- Hernandez v. Mesa
- Intel Corp. Investment Policy Committee v. Sulyma
- Citgo Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co., Ltd.
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