Sun Oil Co. v. Federal Power Commission
364 U.S. 170 · Decided June 27, 1960 · 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
Sun Oil Co. v. Federal Power Commission was decided on June 27, 1960 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Gas producer regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 364 U.S. 170 · 80 S. Ct. 1388 · 4 L. Ed. 2d 1639 · 1960 U.S. LEXIS 1885
- Docket number
- 321
- Decided
- June 27, 1960
- Argued
- April 26, 1960
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Gas producer regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Natural Gas Act or Natural Gas Policy Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent |
Full case caption
Sun Oil Co. v. Federal Power Commission
SCDB identifiers: case 1959-130, docket 1959-130-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Gas producer regulation”
- Sunray Mid-Continent Oil Co. v. Federal Power Commission
- Public Service Commission of the State of New York v. Federal Power Commission
- Pan American Petroleum Corp. v. Superior Court of Delaware for New Castle County
- Atlantic Refining Co. v. Public Service Commission of New York
- Cities Service Gas Co. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas
- Wisconsin v. Federal Power Commission
Cases on the same legal provision: Natural Gas Act or Natural Gas Policy Act
- Texas Gas Transmission Corp. v. Shell Oil Co.
- Federal Power Commission v. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp.
- United Gas Pipe Line Co. v. Memphis Light
- Federal Power Commission v. Tennessee Gas Transmission Co.
- Northern Natural Gas Co. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas
- Federal Power Commission v. Texaco Inc.
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Harris v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
- Conner v. Butler
- United States v. Seaboard Air Line Railroad Co.
- Sentilles v. Inter-Caribbean Shipping Corp.
- West v. United States
- Braen v. Pfeifer Oil Transportation Co., Inc.
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