Watt v. Energy Action Educational Foundation
454 U.S. 151 · Decided December 1, 1981 · 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
Watt v. Energy Action Educational Foundation was decided on December 1, 1981 unanimously (9–0). 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 “Oil producer regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 454 U.S. 151 · 102 S. Ct. 205 · 70 L. Ed. 2d 309 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 46
- Docket number
- 80-1464
- Decided
- December 1, 1981
- Argued
- October 5, 1981
- 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
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Oil producer regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative 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 | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Watt, Secretary of the Interior, et al. v. Energy Action Educational Foundation et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-010, docket 1981-010-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Oil producer regulation”
- Mobil Oil Exploration and Producing Southeast, Inc. v. United States
- Hollyfrontier Cheyenne Refining, LLC v. Renewable Fuels Association
Cases on the same legal provision: Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (case or controversy requirement)
- Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Inc.
- Railway Labor Executives' Assn. v. GibbonsLaw held unconstitutional
- University of Texas v. Camenisch
- H. L. v. Matheson
- Director v. Perini North River Associates
- City of Los Angeles v. Lyons
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- 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
- Railway Labor Executives' Assn. v. GibbonsLaw 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