California v. Sierra Club
451 U.S. 287 · Decided April 28, 1981 · 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
California v. Sierra Club was decided on April 28, 1981 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Standing, private or implied cause of action” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 451 U.S. 287 · 101 S. Ct. 1775 · 68 L. Ed. 2d 101 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 21
- Docket number
- 79-1252
- Decided
- April 28, 1981
- Argued
- January 21, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Standing, private or implied cause of action
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 33 U.S.C. § 403
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
California et al. v. Sierra Club et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-078, docket 1980-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Standing, private or implied cause of action”
- Universities Research Assn., Inc. v. Coutu
- Merrill Lynch v. Curran
- Cannon v. University of Chicago
- Wright v. City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority
- Thompson v. Thompson
- Karahalios v. National Federation of Federal Employees
Cases on the same legal provision: 33 U.S.C. § 403
- United States of America v. State of Alaska on Bill of Complaint
- United States v. Republic Steel Corp.
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Allied Chemical Corp. v. Daiflon, Inc.
- County of Imperial v. Munoz
- Pacileo v. Walker
- Vincent v. Texas
- Federal Trade Commission v. Standard Oil Company of California
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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