Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co.
459 U.S. 400 · Decided January 24, 1983 · 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
Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co. was decided on January 24, 1983 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “State or local business regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 459 U.S. 400 · 103 S. Ct. 697 · 74 L. Ed. 2d 569 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 16
- Docket number
- 81-1370
- Decided
- January 24, 1983
- Argued
- November 9, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- State or local business regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 10, Paragraph 1 (contract clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Energy Reserves Group, Inc. v. Kansas Power & Light Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-023, docket 1982-023-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “State or local business regulation”
- White v. Massachusetts Council of Construction Employers, Inc.
- Rice v. Norman Williams Co.
- Edgar v. Mite Corp.Law held unconstitutional
- New England Power Co. v. New HampshireLaw held unconstitutional
- G.D. Searle & Co. v. Cohn
- Kassel v. Consolidated Freightways Corporation of DelawareLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 10, Paragraph 1 (contract clause)
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- United States v. Security Industrial Bank
- Xerox Corp. v. County of Harris
- Director v. Perini North River Associates
- Herman & Maclean v. Huddleston
- Memphis Bank & Trust Co. v. Garner
- Community Television of Southern California v. Gottfried
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