Southern Pacific Transportation Co. v. Commercial Metals Co.
456 U.S. 336 · Decided April 27, 1982 · 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
Southern Pacific Transportation Co. v. Commercial Metals Co. was decided on April 27, 1982 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
- 456 U.S. 336 · 102 S. Ct. 1815 · 72 L. Ed. 2d 114 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 35
- Docket number
- 81-622
- Decided
- April 27, 1982
- Argued
- March 31, 1982
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Railroad regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Interstate Commerce 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 Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Southern Pacific Transportation Co. v. Commercial Metals Co.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-084, docket 1981-084-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Railroad regulation”
- National Railroad Passenger Corporation v. Atchison
- Interstate Commerce Commission v. Texas
- 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
- Atchison v. Wichita Board of Trade
Cases on the same legal provision: Interstate Commerce Act
- Thurston Motor Lines, Inc. v. Jordan K. Rand, Ltd.
- Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. v. Kalo Brick & Tile Co.
- Hayfield Northern Railroad Co., Inc. v. Chicago & North Western Transportation Co.
- Southern Railway Co. v. Seaboard Allied Milling Corp.
- Mobil Alaska Pipeline Co. v. United States
- Maislin Industries, U.S., Inc. v. Primary Steel, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Watt v. Energy Action Educational Foundation
- Central Trust Co. v. Official Creditors' Committee of Geiger Enterprises, Inc.
- United States v. Clark
- Community Communications Co., Inc. v. City of Boulder
- New England Power Co. v. New HampshireLaw held unconstitutional
- G.D. Searle & Co. v. Cohn
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