Hancock v. Train
426 U.S. 167 · Decided June 7, 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
Hancock v. Train was decided on June 7, 1976 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, air or water pollution” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 426 U.S. 167 · 96 S. Ct. 2006 · 48 L. Ed. 2d 555 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 104
- Docket number
- 74-220
- Decided
- June 7, 1976
- Argued
- January 13, 1976
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, air or water pollution
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Clean Air Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Hancock, Attorney General of Kentucky v. Train, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-111, docket 1975-111-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, air or water pollution”
- Environmental Protection Agency v. California ex Rel. State Water Resources Control Board
- Pennsylvania v. Union Gas Co.
- New York v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
- Huron Portland Cement Co. v. City of Detroit
Cases on the same legal provision: Clean Air Act
- Union Electric Co. v. Environmental Protection Agency
- Train v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Adamo Wrecking Co. v. United States
- Harrison v. PPG Industries, Inc.
- Ruckelshaus v. Sierra Club
- Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- United States v. Maine
- United States v. Florida
- Environmental Protection Agency v. California ex Rel. State Water Resources Control Board
- Lodge 76 v. Wisconsin Employment Relations CommissionAltered precedent
- Utah 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