CaseTrail

United States v. California

449 U.S. 408 · Decided January 19, 1981 · 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 January 19, 1981 unanimously (8–0). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal-state ownership dispute” in the Federalism area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
449 U.S. 408 · 101 S. Ct. 912 · 66 L. Ed. 2d 619 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 2970
Docket number
5 ORIG
Decided
January 19, 1981
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Decree
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
8–0 (unanimous)
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Original jurisdiction
Issue area
Federalism
Legal provision
Submerged Lands Act
Type of law
Federal statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajority
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerMajority
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.Majority
Justice William H. RehnquistMajority
Justice John Paul StevensMajority

Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.

Full case caption

United States v. California

SCDB identifiers: case 1980-026, docket 1980-026-01.

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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