City of Chicago v. United States
396 U.S. 162 · Decided December 9, 1969 · 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
City of Chicago v. United States was decided on December 9, 1969 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Judicial review of agency actions” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 396 U.S. 162 · 90 S. Ct. 309 · 24 L. Ed. 2d 340 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 3122
- Docket number
- 101
- Decided
- December 9, 1969
- Argued
- November 20, 1969
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Judicial review of agency actions
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Interstate Commerce Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| 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 |
Full case caption
City of Chicago et al. v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-015, docket 1969-015-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Judicial review of agency actions”
- National Labor Relations Board v. J. H. Rutter-Rex Manufacturing Co., Inc.
- Tooahnippah v. Hickel
- New York v. United States
- National Labor Relations Board v. Wyman-Gordon Co.
- United States v. City of Chicago
- Port of Boston Marine Terminal Assn. v. Rederiaktiebolaget Transatlantic
Cases on the same legal provision: Interstate Commerce Act
- United States v. Interstate Commerce Commission
- American Farm Lines v. Black Ball Freight Service
- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. v. Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad Co.
- American Commercial Lines, Inc. v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
- City of Pottsville v. United States
- Norfolk & Western Railroad Co. v. Nemitz
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Conway v. California Adult Authority
- National Labor Relations Board v. J. H. Rutter-Rex Manufacturing Co., Inc.
- Maryland and Virginia Eldership of the Churches of God v. Church of God at Sharpsburg, Inc.
- Goldstein v. Cox
- Shapiro v. Doe
- United States v. Cotton
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