Chemical Manufacturers Association v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
470 U.S. 116 · Decided February 27, 1985 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Chemical Manufacturers Association v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. was decided on February 27, 1985 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White 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
- 470 U.S. 116 · 105 S. Ct. 1102 · 84 L. Ed. 2d 90 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 54
- Docket number
- 83-1013
- Decided
- February 27, 1985
- Argued
- November 6, 1984
- 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
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Natural resources and environmental protection
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Clean Water Act (Federal Water Pollution Control Act)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Chemical Manufacturers Association et al. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-035, docket 1984-035-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- Schreiber v. Burlington Northern, Inc.
- Lowe v. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Bateman Eichler v. Berner
- Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- United States v. Riverside Bayview Homes, Inc.
- Secretary of the Interior v. California
Cases on the same legal provision: Clean Water Act (Federal Water Pollution Control Act)
- International Paper Co. v. Ouellette
- United States v. Ward
- United States Department of Energy v. Ohio
- City of Burlington v. Ernest Dague, Sr.
- Environmental Protection Agency v. California ex Rel. State Water Resources Control Board
- Friends of the Earth v. Laidlaw Environmental Services (Toc), Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Mills Music, Inc. v. Snyder
- Park 'n Fly, Inc. v. Dollar Park and Fly, Inc.
- Ohio v. Kovacs
- Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. v. Byrd
- Air France v. Saks
- St. Louis Southwestern Railway Co. v. Dickerson
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