United States v. California
332 U.S. 19 · Decided June 23, 1947 · 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. California was decided on June 23, 1947 by a vote of 6–2. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Submerged Lands Act” in the Federalism area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 332 U.S. 19 · 67 S. Ct. 1658 · 91 L. Ed. 1889 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 2865
- Docket number
- 12
- Decided
- June 23, 1947
- Argued
- March 13, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Original jurisdiction
- Issue (SCDB)
- Submerged Lands Act
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Article IV, Section 3, Paragraph 2 (property clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Did not participate: Robert H. Jackson.
Full case caption
United States v. California
SCDB identifiers: case 1946-143, docket 1946-143-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Submerged Lands Act”
- United States v. Florida
- Alabama v. Texas
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. Florida
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. California
Cases on the same legal provision: Article IV, Section 3, Paragraph 2 (property clause)
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Testa v. Katt
- Bethlehem Steel Co. v. New York State Labor Relations Board
- Rice v. Santa Fe Elevator Corp.
- Rice v. Board of Trade of the City of Chicago
- United States v. Fullard-Leo
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