Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. v. Northwestern Public Service Co.
341 U.S. 246 · Decided May 7, 1951 · 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
Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. v. Northwestern Public Service Co. was decided on May 7, 1951 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Robert H. Jackson wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, no substantial federal question” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 341 U.S. 246 · 71 S. Ct. 692 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 912 · 1951 U.S. LEXIS 2369
- Docket number
- 77
- Decided
- May 7, 1951
- Argued
- November 27, 1950
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Robert H. Jackson
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, no substantial federal question
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Federal Power Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. v. Northwestern Public Service Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1950-071, docket 1950-071-01.
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Other cases on “No merits, no substantial federal question”
- Palmer Oil Corp. v. Amerada Petroleum Corp.
- Shipman v. Dupre
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- Walton v. California.
- Nelson v. Tennessee.
- Ganger v. City of Miami.
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Power Act
- Pennsylvania Water & Power Co. v. Federal Power Commission
- Federal Power Commission v. Idaho Power Co.
- United States v. Public Utilities Commission of California
- Grand River Dam Authority v. Grand-Hydro
- Federal Power Commission v. Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.
- Federal Power Commission v. Oregon
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Missouri ex Rel. Southern Railway Co. v. Mayfield
- Snyder v. Buck
- United States v. Munsingwear, Inc.
- McGrath v. Kristensen
- Alabama Great Southern Railroad Co. v. United States
- National Labor Relations Board v. Gullett Gin Co.
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