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Environmental Protection Agency v. California ex Rel. State Water Resources Control Board

426 U.S. 200 · Decided June 7, 1976 · 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

Environmental Protection Agency v. California ex Rel. State Water Resources Control Board was decided on June 7, 1976 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, air or water pollution” in the Federalism area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
426 U.S. 200 · 96 S. Ct. 2022 · 48 L. Ed. 2d 578 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 105
Docket number
74-1435
Decided
June 7, 1976
Argued
January 13, 1976
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
7–2
Majority opinion
Byron R. White
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Federalism
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

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Potter StewartDissentCo-authored an opinion
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallMajority
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.Majority
Justice William H. RehnquistDissentCo-authored an opinion
Justice John Paul StevensMajority

Full case caption

Environmental Protection Agency et al. v. California ex Rel. State Water Resources Control Board et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1975-112, docket 1975-112-01.

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Cases on the same legal provision: Clean Water Act (Federal Water Pollution Control Act)

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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