United States v. California
381 U.S. 139 · Decided May 17, 1965 · 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 May 17, 1965 by a vote of 5–2. Justice John M. Harlan II 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
- 381 U.S. 139 · 85 S. Ct. 1401 · 14 L. Ed. 2d 296 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 2224
- Docket number
- 5 ORIG
- Decided
- May 17, 1965
- Argued
- December 7, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–2
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- John M. Harlan II
- How the case arrived
- Original jurisdiction
- Issue (SCDB)
- Submerged Lands Act
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Submerged Lands Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Did not participate: Tom C. Clark, Earl Warren.
Full case caption
United States v. California
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-106, docket 1964-106-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Submerged Lands Act”
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. California
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. Louisiana
Cases on the same legal provision: Submerged Lands Act
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Radio & Television Broadcast Technicians Local Union 1264 v. Broadcast Service of Mobile, Inc.
- Corbett v. Stergios
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