United States of America v. State of Alaska
521 U.S. 1 · Decided June 19, 1997 · 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
United States of America v. State of Alaska was decided on June 19, 1997 by a vote of 6–3. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Submerged Lands Act” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 521 U.S. 1 · 117 S. Ct. 1888 · 138 L. Ed. 2d 231 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 3865
- Docket number
- 84 ORIG
- Decided
- June 19, 1997
- Argued
- February 24, 1997
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Original jurisdiction
- Issue (SCDB)
- Submerged Lands Act
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- Submerged Lands Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
United States of America v. State of Alaska
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-075, docket 1996-075-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Submerged Lands Act”
- United States of America v. State of Maine
- United States of America v. State of Alaska
- United States of America v. State of Louisiana
- State of Mississippi v. United States
- State of Alaska v. United States of America
- State of Alaska v. United States of America
Cases on the same legal provision: Submerged Lands Act
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
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- Sandra Jean Dale Boggs v. Thomas F. Boggs
- Marian Johnson v. Kristine L. Fankell
- Idaho v. Coeur D'Alene Tribe of Idaho, Etc.
- Jay Printz v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
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