U.S. Forest Service v. Cowpasture River Preservation Association
140 S. Ct. 1837 · Decided June 15, 2020 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
U.S. Forest Service v. Cowpasture River Preservation Association was decided on June 15, 2020 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Natural resources and environmental protection” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
- CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
- Supreme Court of the United States — slip opinions, October Term 2019
- Supreme Court of the United States — docket 18-1584
Case details
- Citations
- 140 S. Ct. 1837 · 207 L. Ed. 2d 186 · 2020 U.S. LEXIS 3251
- Docket number
- 18-1584
- Decided
- June 15, 2020
- Argued
- February 24, 2020
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Mineral Leasing Act, 30 U.S.C. 181
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Dissent | |
| Justice Neil M. Gorsuch | Majority | |
| Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh | Majority |
Full case caption
U.S. Forest Service v. Cowpasture River Preservation Association
SCDB identifiers: case 2019-041, docket 2019-041-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund
- Atlantic Richfield Co. v. Christian
- Guam v. United States
- Sturgeon v. Frost
- Weyerhaeuser Company v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Rotkiske v. Klemm
- Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v. Jander
- Ritzen Group Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, LLC
- Hernandez v. Mesa
- Intel Corp. Investment Policy Committee v. Sulyma
- Citgo Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co., Ltd.
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