Japan Whaling Association v. American Cetacean Society
478 U.S. 221 · Decided June 30, 1986 · 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
Japan Whaling Association v. American Cetacean Society was decided on June 30, 1986 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
- 478 U.S. 221 · 106 S. Ct. 2860 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 166 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 124
- Docket number
- 85-954
- Decided
- June 30, 1986
- Argued
- April 30, 1986
- 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
- 16 U.S.C. § 1821
- 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. | Dissent | |
| 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 | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Japan Whaling Association et al. v. American Cetacean Society et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-145, docket 1985-145-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Natural resources and environmental protection”
- United States v. Riverside Bayview Homes, Inc.
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- Bateman Eichler v. Berner
- Lowe v. Securities and Exchange Commission
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Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- United States v. Riverside Bayview Homes, Inc.
- Cleavinger v. Saxner
- Midlantic National Bank v. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
- Fisher v. City of Berkeley
- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LTD v. Zenith Radio Corp.
- Dennison Manufacturing Co. v. Panduit Corp.
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