Colorado River Water Conservation District v. United States
424 U.S. 800 · Decided March 24, 1976 · 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
Colorado River Water Conservation District v. United States was decided on March 24, 1976 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Comity, removal cases and foreign tribunals” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 424 U.S. 800 · 96 S. Ct. 1236 · 47 L. Ed. 2d 483 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 22
- Docket number
- 74-940
- Decided
- March 24, 1976
- Argued
- January 14, 1976
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Comity, removal cases and foreign tribunals
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- 43 U.S.C. § 666
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| 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 | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Colorado River Water Conservation District et al. v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-059, docket 1975-059-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Comity, removal cases and foreign tribunals”
- Carey v. Sugar
- Boehning v. Indiana State Employees Assn., Inc.
- Tully v. Griffin, Inc.
- Doran v. Salem Inn, Inc.
- Trainor v. Hernandez et Ux.
- Lehman Brothers v. Schein
Cases on the same legal provision: 43 U.S.C. § 666
- United States v. District Court in and for the County of Eagle
- United States v. District Court in and for Water Division No. 5
- Dugan v. Rank
- United States v. Idaho
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- Boehning v. Indiana State Employees Assn., Inc.
- Northern Indiana Public Service Co. v. Porter County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, Inc.
- Bray v. United States
- Weinstein v. Bradford
- Mathews v. Weber
- Dove v. United StatesAltered precedent
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