Tennessee v. Arkansas
454 U.S. 351 · Decided December 14, 1981 · 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
Tennessee v. Arkansas was decided on December 14, 1981 unanimously (9–0). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Boundary dispute between states” in the Interstate Relations area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 454 U.S. 351 · 102 S. Ct. 962 · 70 L. Ed. 2d 539 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 138
- Docket number
- 77 ORIG
- Decided
- December 14, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Decree
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Original jurisdiction
- Issue (SCDB)
- Boundary dispute between states
- Issue area
- Interstate Relations
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Unspecifiable what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Tennessee v. Arkansas
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-018, docket 1981-018-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Boundary dispute between states”
- California v. Nevada
- California v. Arizona
- Texas v. Oklahoma
- South Dakota v. Nebraska
- California v. Nevada
- Ohio v. Kentucky
Same Term, same area (Interstate Relations)
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