Burlington Northern Inc. v. United States
459 U.S. 131 · Decided December 13, 1982 · 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
Burlington Northern Inc. v. United States was decided on December 13, 1982 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Judicial review of agency actions” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 459 U.S. 131 · 103 S. Ct. 514 · 74 L. Ed. 2d 311 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 14
- Docket number
- 81-1008
- Decided
- December 13, 1982
- Argued
- November 3, 1982
- 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
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Judicial review of agency actions
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Burlington Northern Inc. et al. v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-011, docket 1982-011-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Judicial review of agency actions”
- Bowsher v. Merck & Co., Inc.
- National Association of Greeting Card Publishers v. United States Postal Service
- Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association of the United States, Inc. v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.
- Public Service Commission of the State of New York v. Mid-Louisiana Gas Co.
- National Labor Relations Board v. International Association of Bridge
- Block v. Community Nutrition Institute
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Griggs v. Provident Consumer Discount Co.
- Gillette Co. v. Miner
- Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital v. Mercury Construction Corp.
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals v. Feldman
- Thurston Motor Lines, Inc. v. Jordan K. Rand, Ltd.
- Bowsher v. Merck & Co., Inc.
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