Watt v. Alaska
451 U.S. 259 · Decided April 21, 1981 · 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
Watt v. Alaska was decided on April 21, 1981 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Miscellaneous federalism” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 451 U.S. 259 · 101 S. Ct. 1673 · 68 L. Ed. 2d 80 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 3
- Docket number
- 79-1890
- Decided
- April 21, 1981
- Argued
- January 13, 1981
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Miscellaneous federalism
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 30 U.S.C. § 191
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Watt, Secretary of the Interior, et al. v. Alaska
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-077, docket 1980-077-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Miscellaneous federalism”
- Bell v. New Jersey
- Bennett v. New Jersey
- Bennett v. Kentucky Department of Education
- Oregon ex Rel. State Land Board v. Corvallis Sand & Gravel Co.Altered precedent
- West Virginia v. United States
- Cousins v. Wigoda
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- United States v. California
- Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. v. Kalo Brick & Tile Co.
- United States v. Maine
- United States v. Louisiana
- McCarty v. McCarty
- Gulf Offshore Co. v. Mobil Oil Corp.
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