United States v. Bestfoods
524 U.S. 51 · Decided June 8, 1998 · 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 v. Bestfoods was decided on June 8, 1998 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice David H. Souter 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
Case details
- Citations
- 524 U.S. 51 · 118 S. Ct. 1876 · 141 L. Ed. 2d 43 · 1998 U.S. LEXIS 3733
- Docket number
- 97-454
- Decided
- June 8, 1998
- Argued
- March 24, 1998
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 9607
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Bestfoods, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1997-076, docket 1997-076-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- Amoco Production Company v. Southern Ute Indian Tribe
- Public Lands Council v. Bruce Babbitt
- Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. United States Army Corps of Engineers
- Christine Todd Whitman v. American Trucking Associations, Inc.
- Bruce Babbitt v. Sweet Home Chapter of Communities for a Great Oregon
- Key Tronic Corporation v. United States
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- State Oil Company v. Barkat U. Khan and Khan & Associates, Inc.Altered precedent
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- National Credit Union Administration v. First National Bank & Trust Co.
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