Lake Carriers' Assn. v. Macmullan
406 U.S. 498 · Decided May 30, 1972 · 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
Lake Carriers' Assn. v. Macmullan was decided on May 30, 1972 by a vote of 7–2. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 406 U.S. 498 · 92 S. Ct. 1749 · 32 L. Ed. 2d 257 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 115
- Docket number
- 71-422
- Decided
- May 30, 1972
- Argued
- March 22, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 2201
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
Lake Carriers' Assn. et Al v. Macmullan et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-118, docket 1971-118-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- Illinois v. City of MilwaukeeAltered precedent
- Washington v. General Motors Corp.
- Sierra Club v. Morton
- Askew v. American Waterways Operators, Inc.
- United States v. Pennsylvania Industrial Chemical Corp.
- Fri v. Sierra Club
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 2201
- United States v. King
- Public Affairs Associates, Inc. v. Rickover
- Evers v. Dwyer
- Public Utilities Commission of California v. United Air Lines, Inc.
- Public Service Commission of Utah v. Wycoff Company, Inc.
- Kerotest Manufacturing Co. v. C-O-Two Fire Equipment Co.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Superintendent of Insurance of New York v. Bankers Life & Casualty Co.
- McClanahan v. Morauer & Hartzell, Inc.
- Norfolk & Western Railroad Co. v. Nemitz
- Chevron Oil Co. v. Huson
- Victory Carriers, Inc. v. Law
- O'Keeffe v. Aerojet-General Shipyards, Inc.
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