City of Milwaukee v. Illinois
451 U.S. 304 · 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
City of Milwaukee v. Illinois was decided on April 28, 1981 by a vote of 6–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William H. Rehnquist 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
Case details
- Citations
- 451 U.S. 304 · 101 S. Ct. 1784 · 68 L. Ed. 2d 114 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 22
- Docket number
- 79-408
- Decided
- April 28, 1981
- Argued
- December 2, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
City of Milwaukee et al. v. Illinois et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-079, docket 1980-079-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- Hodel v. Virginia Surface Mining & Reclamation Association, Inc.
- Hodel v. Indiana
- Middlesex County Sewerage Authority v. National Sea Clammers Association
- Environmental Protection Agency v. National Crushed Stone Association
- Bryant v. Yellen
- Andrus v. Shell Oil Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Environmental Protection Agency v. National Crushed Stone Association
- Potomac Electric Power Co. v. Director
- Minnesota v. Clover Leaf Creamery Co.
- Board of Governors of Federal Reserve System v. Investment Company Institute
- Steadman v. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Diamond v. Diehr
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