National Railroad Passenger Corporation v. Atchison
470 U.S. 451 · Decided March 18, 1985 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
National Railroad Passenger Corporation v. Atchison was decided on March 18, 1985 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Railroad regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 470 U.S. 451 · 105 S. Ct. 1441 · 84 L. Ed. 2d 432 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 65
- Docket number
- 83-1492
- Decided
- March 18, 1985
- Argued
- January 15, 1985
- 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
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Railroad regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 45 U.S.C. § 565
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
National Railroad Passenger Corporation v. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-046, docket 1984-046-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Railroad regulation”
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. Texas
- Southern Pacific Transportation Co. v. Commercial Metals Co.
- Norfolk & Western Railway Company v. American Train Dispatchers' Association
- Ralston Purina Co. v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. Oregon Pacific Industries, Inc.
- National Railroad Passenger Corp. v. National Association of Railroad Passengers
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Mills Music, Inc. v. Snyder
- Park 'n Fly, Inc. v. Dollar Park and Fly, Inc.
- Ohio v. Kovacs
- Chemical Manufacturers Association v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. v. Byrd
- Air France v. Saks
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