United States v. Grand River Dam Authority
363 U.S. 229 · Decided June 13, 1960 · 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. Grand River Dam Authority was decided on June 13, 1960 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, natural resources” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 363 U.S. 229 · 80 S. Ct. 1134 · 4 L. Ed. 2d 1186 · 1960 U.S. LEXIS 1878
- Docket number
- 503
- Decided
- June 13, 1960
- Argued
- May 17, 1960
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, natural resources
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (takings clause)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Grand River Dam Authority
SCDB identifiers: case 1959-096, docket 1959-096-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, natural resources”
- Hughes v. OklahomaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Sporhase v. Nebraska ex Rel. DouglasAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- South-Central Timber Development, Inc. v. Wunnicke
- Idaho v. Coeur D'Alene Tribe of Idaho, Etc.
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (takings clause)
- Armstrong v. United States
- United States v. Virginia Electric & Power Co.
- Griggs v. Allegheny County
- Goldblatt v. Town of Hempstead
- Ivanhoe Irrigation District v. McCracken
- United States v. Dow
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Superior Court of Washington for King County v. Washington ex Rel. Yellow Cab Service, Inc.
- Phillips Chemical Co. v. Dumas Independent School DistrictLaw held unconstitutional
- Huron Portland Cement Co. v. City of Detroit
- Local 24 v. Oliver
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. Florida
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