Pennsylvania v. Union Gas Co.
491 U.S. 1 · Decided June 15, 1989 · 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
Pennsylvania v. Union Gas Co. was decided on June 15, 1989 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, air or water pollution” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 491 U.S. 1 · 109 S. Ct. 2273 · 105 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 2970
- Docket number
- 87-1241
- Decided
- June 15, 1989
- Argued
- October 31, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, air or water pollution
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 9601
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent |
Full case caption
Pennsylvania v. Union Gas Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-111, docket 1988-111-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, air or water pollution”
- New York v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- Hancock v. Train
- Environmental Protection Agency v. California ex Rel. State Water Resources Control Board
- Huron Portland Cement Co. v. City of Detroit
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 9601
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Shell Oil Company v. Iowa Department of Revenue
- Bonito Boats, Inc. v. Thunder Craft Boats, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Volt Information Sciences, Inc. v. Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University
- Davis v. Michigan Department of the TreasuryLaw held unconstitutional
- Oklahoma Tax Commission v. Graham
- California v. Arc America Corp.
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