Utah Division of State Lands v. United States
482 U.S. 193 · Decided June 8, 1987 · 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
Utah Division of State Lands v. United States was decided on June 8, 1987 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Federal-state ownership dispute” in the Federalism area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 482 U.S. 193 · 107 S. Ct. 2318 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 162 · 1987 U.S. LEXIS 2475
- Docket number
- 85-1772
- Decided
- June 8, 1987
- Argued
- March 23, 1987
- Court era
- Rehnquist 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
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Federal-state ownership dispute
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Legal provision
- 25 Stat. 505
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Utah Division of State Lands v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-115, docket 1986-115-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Federal-state ownership dispute”
- United States v. Maine
- United States v. Maine
- California ex Rel. State Lands Commission v. United States
- United States of America v. State of Alaska on Bill of Complaint
- United States v. Louisiana
- United States v. Maine
Same Term, same area (Federalism)
- Rose v. Arkansas State PoliceLaw held unconstitutional
- West Virginia v. United States
- International Paper Co. v. Ouellette
- Pilot Life Insurance Co. v. Dedeaux
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Taylor
- Rose v. Rose
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