United States of America v. State of Louisiana
485 U.S. 88 · Decided March 1, 1988 · 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
United States of America v. State of Louisiana was decided on March 1, 1988 unanimously (7–0). Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Submerged Lands Act” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 485 U.S. 88 · 108 S. Ct. 901 · 99 L. Ed. 2d 83 · 1988 U.S. LEXIS 1062
- Docket number
- 9 ORIG
- Decided
- March 1, 1988
- Argued
- January 11, 1988
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Original jurisdiction
- Issue (SCDB)
- Submerged Lands Act
- Issue area
- Federalism
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall, Anthony M. Kennedy.
Full case caption
United States of America v. State of Louisiana et al. (Alabama and Mississippi Boundary Case)
SCDB identifiers: case 1987-039, docket 1987-039-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Submerged Lands Act”
- United States of America v. State of Louisiana
- State of Mississippi v. United States
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. Maine
- California ex Rel. State Lands Commission v. United States
- United States v. Louisiana
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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