United States v. California
436 U.S. 32 · Decided May 15, 1978 · 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 15, 1978 by a vote of 5–3. Justice Potter Stewart 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
- 436 U.S. 32 · 98 S. Ct. 1662 · 56 L. Ed. 2d 94 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 7
- Docket number
- 5 ORIG
- Decided
- May 15, 1978
- Argued
- February 27, 1978
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
United States v. California
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-078, docket 1977-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Submerged Lands Act”
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. California
- United States v. Alaska
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. Maine
- United States v. Louisiana
Cases on the same legal provision: Submerged Lands Act
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
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- United States Steel Corp. v. Multistate Tax Commission
- Ray v. Atlantic Richfield Co.
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- Sears v. San Diego County District Council of Carpenters
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