Costle v. Pacific Legal Foundation
445 U.S. 198 · Decided March 18, 1980 · 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
Costle v. Pacific Legal Foundation was decided on March 18, 1980 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
- 445 U.S. 198 · 100 S. Ct. 1095 · 63 L. Ed. 2d 329 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 29
- Docket number
- 78-1472
- Decided
- March 18, 1980
- Argued
- December 5, 1979
- 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
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Clean Water Act (Federal Water Pollution Control Act)
- Type of law
- Federal 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Costle, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency v. Pacific Legal Foundation et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-052, docket 1979-052-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- Crown Simpson Pulp Co. v. Costle
- Andrus v. Idaho
- Andrus v. Utah
- Harrison v. PPG Industries, Inc.
- Andrus v. Shell Oil Co.
- Bryant v. Yellen
Cases on the same legal provision: Clean Water Act (Federal Water Pollution Control Act)
- United States v. Ward
- Environmental Protection Agency v. California ex Rel. State Water Resources Control Board
- International Paper Co. v. Ouellette
- United States Department of Energy v. Ohio
- City of Burlington v. Ernest Dague, Sr.
- Friends of the Earth v. Laidlaw Environmental Services (Toc), Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Transamerica Mortgage Advisors, Inc. v. Lewis
- P. C. Pfeiffer Co., Inc. v. Ford
- United States v. Kubrick
- Ferri v. Ackerman
- McLain v. Real Estate Board of New Orleans, Inc.
- Hatzlachh Supply Co., Inc. v. United States
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