California v. Federal Power Commission
369 U.S. 482 · Decided April 30, 1962 · 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
California v. Federal Power Commission was decided on April 30, 1962 by a vote of 5–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Mergers” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 369 U.S. 482 · 82 S. Ct. 901 · 8 L. Ed. 2d 54 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 2161
- Docket number
- 187
- Decided
- April 30, 1962
- Argued
- March 1, 1962
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–2
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Mergers
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| 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 |
Did not participate: Felix Frankfurter, Byron R. White.
Full case caption
California v. Federal Power Commission et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-061, docket 1961-061-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Mergers”
- Brown Shoe Co., Inc. v. United States
- Gilbertville Trucking Co., Inc. v. United States
- United States v. E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co.
- Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes v. United States
- United States v. Philadelphia National Bank
- United States v. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Lexington
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Roper v. United States
- Martin v. Walton
- Still v. Norfolk & Western Railway Co.
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. J-T Transport Co., Inc.
- Federal Trade Commission v. Henry Broch & Co.
- United States v. Drum
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