Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Commission of California
475 U.S. 1 · Decided February 25, 1986 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Commission of California was decided on February 25, 1986 by a vote of 5–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Commercial speech, excluding attorneys” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 475 U.S. 1 · 106 S. Ct. 903 · 89 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 1
- Docket number
- 84-1044
- Decided
- February 25, 1986
- Argued
- October 8, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Commercial speech, excluding attorneys
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Did not participate: Harry A. Blackmun.
Full case caption
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Commission of California et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-033, docket 1985-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Commercial speech, excluding attorneys”
- Posadas de Puerto Rico Associates v. Tourism Company of Puerto Rico
- Bolger v. Youngs Drug Products Corp.Law held unconstitutional
- Board of Trustees of the State University of New York v. Fox
- Metromedia, Inc. v. City of San DiegoLaw held unconstitutional
- Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission of New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Friedman v. Rogers
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc.
- Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson
- Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. HeppsLaw held unconstitutional
- New York v. P.J. Video, Inc.
- City of Los Angeles v. Preferred Communications, Inc.
- Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court of California for the County of Riverside
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Witters v. Washington Department of Services for the Blind
- City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres, Inc.
- Goldman v. Weinberger
- Bender v. Williamsport Area School District
- Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. HeppsLaw held unconstitutional
- New York v. P.J. Video, 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