Ray v. Atlantic Richfield Co.
435 U.S. 151 · Decided March 6, 1978 · 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
Ray v. Atlantic Richfield Co. was decided on March 6, 1978 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “National supremacy, miscellaneous” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 435 U.S. 151 · 98 S. Ct. 988 · 55 L. Ed. 2d 179 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 18
- Docket number
- 76-930
- Decided
- March 6, 1978
- Argued
- October 31, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- National supremacy, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 46 U.S.C. § 215
- 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. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Ray, Governor of Washington, et al. v. Atlantic Richfield Co. et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-047, docket 1977-047-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “National supremacy, miscellaneous”
- General Atomic Co. v. Felter
- Fry v. United States
- Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. HaldermanAltered precedent
- Lawrence County v. Lead-Deadwood School District No. 40-1Law held unconstitutional
- Atascadero State Hospital v. Scanlon
- Rose v. Arkansas State PoliceLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- General Atomic Co. v. Felter
- United States Steel Corp. v. Multistate Tax Commission
- Massachusetts v. United States
- Malone v. White Motor Corp.
- United States v. California
- Sears v. San Diego County District Council of Carpenters
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