Department of Transportation v. Public Citizen
541 U.S. 752 · Decided June 7, 2004 · 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
Department of Transportation v. Public Citizen was decided on June 7, 2004 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas 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
- 541 U.S. 752 · 124 S. Ct. 2204 · 159 L. Ed. 2d 60 · 2004 U.S. LEXIS 4027
- Docket number
- 03-358
- Decided
- June 7, 2004
- Argued
- April 21, 2004
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- National Environmental Policy Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Department of Transportation, et al. v. Public Citizen et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2003-067, docket 2003-067-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
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- Francis A. Orff v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: National Environmental Policy Act
- Weinberger v. Catholic Action of Hawaii/peace Education Project
- Strycker's Bay Neighborhood Council, Inc. v. Karlen
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Securities and Exchange Commission v. Charles E. Edwards
- Verizon Communications Inc. v. Law Offices of Curtis V Trinko
- Andrew J. Kontrick v. Robert A. Ryan
- Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation v. Environmental Protection Agency
- Jeff Groh v. Joseph R. Ramirez
- Olympic Airways v. Rubina Husain
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