Duke Power Co. v. Carolina Environmental Study Group, Inc.
438 U.S. 59 · Decided June 26, 1978 · 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
Duke Power Co. v. Carolina Environmental Study Group, Inc. was decided on June 26, 1978 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Nuclear power regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 438 U.S. 59 · 98 S. Ct. 2620 · 57 L. Ed. 2d 595 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 38
- Docket number
- 77-262
- Decided
- June 26, 1978
- Argued
- March 20, 1978
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Nuclear power regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Atomic Energy 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Duke Power Co. v. Carolina Environmental Study Group, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-140, docket 1977-140-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Nuclear power regulation”
- Huffman v. Western Nuclear, Inc.
- Mississippi Power & Light Co. v. Mississippi ex Rel. Moore
- Power Reactor Development Co. v. International Union of Electrical
- United States v. Eurodif S. A.
Cases on the same legal provision: Atomic Energy Act
- Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission
- Vera M. English v. General Electric Company
- United States v. Boyd
- Rosenberg v. United States
- Carson v. Roane-Anderson Company
- Virginia Uranium v. Warren
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- County Board of Arlington County v. Richards
- Southern Overlying Carrier Chapter of the California Dump Truck Owners Association v. Public Utilities Commission of California
- Adamo Wrecking Co. v. United States
- Pfizer Inc. v. Government of India
- Carter v. MillerLaw held unconstitutional
- Raymond Motor Transportation, Inc. v. RiceLaw held unconstitutional
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