Hughes v. PPL Energyplus
578 U.S. 150 · Decided April 19, 2016 · 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
Hughes v. PPL Energyplus was decided on April 19, 2016 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, public utilities” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 578 U.S. 150 · 136 S. Ct. 1288 · 2016 U.S. LEXIS 2797
- Docket number
- 14-614
- Decided
- April 19, 2016
- Argued
- February 24, 2016
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, public utilities
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Federal Power Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
Hughes v. PPL Energyplus
SCDB identifiers: case 2015-042, docket 2015-042-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, public utilities”
- Central Virginia Community College v. Bernard KatzAltered precedent
- Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority
- Verizon Md. Inc. v. Public Service Comm'n of Md.
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. Mississippi
- Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen v. Chicago
- City of Tacoma v. Taxpayers of Tacoma
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Power Act
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. Electric Power Supply Association
- NRG Power Marketing, LLC v. Maine Public Utilities Commission
- Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc. v. Public Utility District No. 1 of Snohomish County
- Entergy Louisiana, Inc. v. Louisiana Public Service Commission
- New York v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Arcadia v. Ohio Power Company
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
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