Norfolk & Western Railroad Co. v. Nemitz
404 U.S. 37 · Decided November 15, 1971 · 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
Norfolk & Western Railroad Co. v. Nemitz was decided on November 15, 1971 by a vote of 4–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Railroad regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 404 U.S. 37 · 92 S. Ct. 185 · 30 L. Ed. 2d 198 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 122
- Docket number
- 70-97
- Decided
- November 15, 1971
- Argued
- October 21, 1971
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–3
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Railroad regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Interstate Commerce Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Norfolk & Western Railroad Co. v. Nemitz et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-009, docket 1971-009-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Railroad regulation”
- United States v. Allegheny-Ludlum Steel Corp.
- Atchison v. Wichita Board of Trade
- National Railroad Passenger Corp. v. National Association of Railroad Passengers
- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. v. Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad Co.
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. Oregon Pacific Industries, Inc.
- American Commercial Lines, Inc. v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: Interstate Commerce Act
- Port of Portland v. United States
- United States v. City of Chicago
- United States v. Florida East Coast Railway Co.
- American Farm Lines v. Black Ball Freight Service
- United States v. Interstate Commerce Commission
- City of Chicago v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Superintendent of Insurance of New York v. Bankers Life & Casualty Co.
- McClanahan v. Morauer & Hartzell, Inc.
- Chevron Oil Co. v. Huson
- Victory Carriers, Inc. v. Law
- O'Keeffe v. Aerojet-General Shipyards, Inc.
- Reliance Electric Co. v. Emerson Electric 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