Ruckelshaus v. Sierra Club
463 U.S. 680 · Decided July 1, 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
Ruckelshaus v. Sierra Club was decided on July 1, 1983 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses” in the Attorneys area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 463 U.S. 680 · 103 S. Ct. 3274 · 77 L. Ed. 2d 938 · 1983 U.S. LEXIS 103
- Docket number
- 82-242
- Decided
- July 1, 1983
- Argued
- April 25, 1983
- 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Attorneys
- Legal provision
- Clean Air Act
- Type of law
- Federal 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 | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Ruckelshaus, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency v. Sierra Club et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-153, docket 1982-153-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Attorneys' and officials' fees, compensation, or licenses”
- Hensley v. Eckerhart
- Blum v. Stenson
- Smith v. Robinson
- Summit Valley Industries, Inc. v. Local 112
- White v. New Hampshire Department of Employment Security
- Roger L. Spencer v. South Carolina Tax Commission
Cases on the same legal provision: Clean Air Act
- Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
- Harrison v. PPG Industries, Inc.
- Adamo Wrecking Co. v. United States
- General Motors Corporation v. United States
- Union Electric Co. v. Environmental Protection Agency
- Hancock v. Train
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
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