United States v. Public Utilities Commission of California
345 U.S. 295 · Decided April 6, 1953 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States v. Public Utilities Commission of California was decided on April 6, 1953 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Stanley F. Reed wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 345 U.S. 295 · 73 S. Ct. 706 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 1020 · 1953 U.S. LEXIS 2559
- Docket number
- 205
- Decided
- April 6, 1953
- Argued
- January 14, 1953
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Stanley F. Reed
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Federal Power 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 | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Did not participate: Felix Frankfurter.
Full case caption
United States v. Public Utilities Commission of California et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1952-073, docket 1952-073-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal preemption of state legislation or regulation”
- Howard v. Commissioners of the Sinking Fund of the City of Louisville
- Levinson v. Deupree
- Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc. v. Koppal
- New York v. Nothnagle
- South Buffalo Railway Co. v. Ahern
- Castle v. Hayes Freight Lines, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Power Act
- Federal Power Commission v. Idaho Power Co.
- Pennsylvania Water & Power Co. v. Federal Power Commission
- Federal Power Commission v. Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.
- Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. v. Northwestern Public Service Co.
- Federal Power Commission v. Oregon
- Federal Power Commission v. Sierra Pacific Power Co.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- South Buffalo Railway Co. v. Ahern
- Howard v. Commissioners of the Sinking Fund of the City of Louisville
- Esso Standard Oil Co. v. Evans
- Levinson v. Deupree
- Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc. v. Koppal
- New York v. Nothnagle
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