Donald C. Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
555 U.S. 7 · Decided November 12, 2008 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Donald C. Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. was decided on November 12, 2008 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. 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
- 555 U.S. 7 · 129 S. Ct. 365 · 172 L. Ed. 2d 249 · 2008 U.S. LEXIS 8343
- Docket number
- 07-1239
- Decided
- November 12, 2008
- Argued
- October 8, 2008
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- 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
- National Environmental Policy Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority |
Full case caption
Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Nav., et al. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2008-003, docket 2008-003-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company v. United States
- Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council
- National Association of Home Builders v. Defenders of Wildlife
- United States v. Atlantic Research Corporation
- State of Alabama v. State of North Carolina.
- Monsanto Company v. Geertson Seed Farms
Cases on the same legal provision: National Environmental Policy Act
- Weinberger v. Catholic Action of Hawaii/peace Education Project
- Strycker's Bay Neighborhood Council, Inc. v. Karlen
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- 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
- Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company v. United States
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