United States v. Standard Oil Co.
384 U.S. 224 · Decided May 23, 1966 · 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. Standard Oil Co. was decided on May 23, 1966 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Natural resources and environmental protection” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 384 U.S. 224 · 86 S. Ct. 1427 · 16 L. Ed. 2d 492 · 1966 U.S. LEXIS 2746
- Docket number
- 291
- Decided
- May 23, 1966
- Argued
- January 25, 1966
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 33 U.S.C. § 407
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Standard Oil Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1965-106, docket 1965-106-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- United States v. Coleman
- Arizona v. California
- Boesche v. Udall
- Dugan v. Rank
- City of Fresno v. California
- Organized Village of Kake v. Egan
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Gondeck v. Pan American World Airways, Inc.
- Leh v. General Petroleum Corp.
- Seaboard Air Line Railroad Co. v. United States
- United States v. Maryland for the Use of Meyer
- Walker Process Equipment, Inc. v. Food Machinery & Chemical Corp.
- United Gas Improvement Co. v. Callery Properties, Inc.
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