United States v. Maine
475 U.S. 89 · Decided February 25, 1986 · 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. Maine was decided on February 25, 1986 unanimously (8–0). Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal-state ownership dispute” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 475 U.S. 89 · 106 S. Ct. 951 · 89 L. Ed. 2d 68 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 4
- Docket number
- 35 ORIG
- Decided
- February 25, 1986
- Argued
- December 12, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Original jurisdiction
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal-state ownership dispute
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
United States v. Maine et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-036, docket 1985-036-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal-state ownership dispute”
- United States v. Maine
- Utah Division of State Lands v. United States
- California ex Rel. State Lands Commission v. United States
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. Maine
- United States v. California
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp. v. State Oil and Gas Board of Mississippi
- Wisconsin Department of Industry v. Gould Inc.
- Exxon Corp. v. Hunt
- Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles
- Louisiana Public Service Commission v. Federal Communications Commission
- Public Service Commission of Maryland v. Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company of Maryland
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