Watt v. Western Nuclear, Inc.
462 U.S. 36 · Decided June 6, 1983 · 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. Western Nuclear, Inc. was decided on June 6, 1983 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall 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
- 462 U.S. 36 · 103 S. Ct. 2218 · 76 L. Ed. 2d 400 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 46
- Docket number
- 81-1686
- Decided
- June 6, 1983
- Argued
- January 17, 1983
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 43 U.S.C. § 299
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- 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 | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent |
Full case caption
Watt, Secretary of the Interior, et al. v. Western Nuclear, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-096, docket 1982-096-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Nevada v. United States
- Metropolitan Edison Co. v. People Against Nuclear Energy
- Secretary of the Interior v. California
- Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Weinberger v. Romero-Barcelo
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- United States v. Security Industrial Bank
- Xerox Corp. v. County of Harris
- Director v. Perini North River Associates
- Herman & Maclean v. Huddleston
- Memphis Bank & Trust Co. v. Garner
- Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co.
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