Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company v. United States
556 U.S. 599 · Decided May 4, 2009 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company v. United States was decided on May 4, 2009 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens 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
- 556 U.S. 599 · 129 S. Ct. 1870 · 173 L. Ed. 2d 812 · 2009 U.S. LEXIS 3306
- Docket number
- 07-1601
- Decided
- May 4, 2009
- Argued
- February 24, 2009
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 42-9607
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company, et al. v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-052, docket 2008-052-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council
- Donald C. Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- State of Alabama v. State of North Carolina.
- Monsanto Company v. Geertson Seed Farms
- National Association of Home Builders v. Defenders of Wildlife
- United States v. Atlantic Research Corporation
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Donald C. Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Kari E. Kennedy v. Plan Administrator for Dupont Savings and Investment Plan
- United States v. Eurodif S. A.
- Pacific Bell Telephone Company v. Linkline Communications, Inc.
- Entergy Corporation v. Riverkeeper, Inc.
- Ministry of Defense and Support for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran v. Dariush Elahi
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