United States v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.
353 U.S. 112 · Decided April 8, 1957 · 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. Union Pacific Railroad Co. was decided on April 8, 1957 by a vote of 5–3. 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
- 353 U.S. 112 · 77 S. Ct. 685 · 1 L. Ed. 2d 693 · 1957 U.S. LEXIS 1575
- Docket number
- 97
- Decided
- April 8, 1957
- Argued
- January 23, 1957
- 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
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 12 Stat. 489
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority |
Did not participate: Charles E. Whittaker.
Full case caption
United States v. Union Pacific Railroad Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1956-067, docket 1956-067-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- United States v. Howard
- Federal Power Commission v. Oregon
- United States v. Republic Steel Corp.
- United States ex Rel. Chapman v. Federal Power Commission
- Organized Village of Kake v. Egan
- Dugan v. Rank
Cases on the same legal provision: 12 Stat. 489
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Thompson v. Coastal Oil Co.
- Holophane Co., Inc. v. United States.
- United States v. Bergh
- Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Co. v. United States
- United States v. Interstate Commerce Commission
- United States v. Howard
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