Doug Decker v. Northwest Environmental Defense Center;
568 U.S. 597 · Decided March 20, 2013 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Doug Decker v. Northwest Environmental Defense Center; was decided on March 20, 2013 by a vote of 7–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy 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
- 568 U.S. 597 · 133 S. Ct. 1326 · 185 L. Ed. 2d 447 · 2013 U.S. LEXIS 2373
- Docket number
- 11-338
- Decided
- March 20, 2013
- Argued
- December 3, 2012
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Concurrence | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Did not participate: Stephen G. Breyer.
Full case caption
Doug Decker, in His Official Capacity as Oregon State Forester, et Al., Petitioners v. Northwest Environmental Defense Center;
SCDB identifiers: case 2012-027, docket 2012-027-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- Los Angeles County Flood Control District Petitioner v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Chantell Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency
- PPL Montana, LLC v. Montana
- EPA v. Eme Homer City Generation
- Util. Air Regulatory Group v. EPA
- American Electric Power Company, Inc. v. Connecticut
Cases on the same legal provision: Clean Water Act (Federal Water Pollution Control Act)
- Entergy Corporation v. Riverkeeper, Inc.
- Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker
- National Association of Manufacturers v. Department of Defense
- Friends of the Earth v. Laidlaw Environmental Services (Toc), Inc.
- City of Burlington v. Ernest Dague, Sr.
- United States Department of Energy v. Ohio
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Los Angeles County Flood Control District Petitioner v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Already, LLC v. Nike, Inc.
- Federal Trade Commission v. Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc.
- Olivea Marx v. General Revenue Corporation
- Marc J. Gabelli and Bruce Alpert v. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Amgen Inc. v. Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds
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