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Supreme Court · Decisions

United States v. Little Lake Misere Land Co., Inc., et al.

412 U.S. 580 · No. 71-1459 · 1972 term · Burger Court

Decided Jun 18, 1973 · argued Jan 15, 1973

Federalism · Miscellaneous federalism

Majority opinion: Warren Burger

The voteMajority

9–09 in the majority, 0 in dissent

No dissent (9–0)

Reversed and remanded. United States won.

What this ruling means

Reversed and remanded: the Supreme Court overturned the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and sent the case back to that court for further proceedings that follow the Supreme Court’s ruling.

United States was the petitioner, the side that asked the Supreme Court to review the case. “Won” means the Court gave that side the result it asked for.

From the Supreme Court Database. A justice who agreed with the result but not the reasoning counts in the majority.

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Summary

The opening of the case’s Wikipedia article: what the case was about and what the Court held.

Wikipedia has no article on this case, so there is no summary.

Data notes

The text is Wikipedia’s (CC BY-SA 4.0), matched to the case by its citation, docket number or name and year, and is not checked against the opinion. The site keeps the article’s opening section, ending on its last full sentence. The one-sentence summary under the title is the Decisions list’s: Wikipedia’s own ruling sentence, or, tagged “AI-written”, one Claude wrote from this opening.

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How the justices voted

Each justice who took part, placed by their Martin–Quinn ideology score for the 1972 term. Filled: the 9 in the majority. Hollow: the 0 in dissent. Colour is the party of the president who appointed them.

More liberalMore conservativeMedianDouglasBrennanMarshallStewartWhitePowellBlackmunBurgerRehnquist

Majority(9)

Dissent(0)

  • None.
Data notes

Each justice’s vote and what they wrote are from the justice-centered file of the Supreme Court Database. “Wrote a concurrence” means the justice sided with the majority and wrote separately; a justice who dissented in part is counted on the side they took overall. A justice who wrote nothing is listed as joining their side.

Positions are each justice’s Martin–Quinn score for the case’s term, the same scores as the Ideology page: negative is more liberal, positive more conservative. A score sums up a justice’s votes across the whole term, so it says where they usually sit, not why they voted as they did here. The median line is the Court’s median justice that term.

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The parties

Who brought the case to the Court, who answered it, and how it got there.

Petitioner
United StatesUnited States
Respondent
Little Lake Misere Land Co., Inc., et al.Mining company or miner, excluding coal, oil, or pipeline company
Reached the Court by
Certiorari (the Court chose to hear it)
Data notes

The names are the two sides of the case’s title. The description under each is the Supreme Court Database’s category for that party, in its own wording. The petitioner is the side that asked the Supreme Court to review the decision below. “Why it was taken” appears only when the majority opinion says lower courts disagreed or were unsure about the question; reasons that would fit any case (“to resolve the question presented”, “an important question”) are left out.

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The law at issue

The law the Court was asked to apply, and the kind of power it used to decide.

Decided by
Federal common law
Data notes

The Supreme Court Database codes the main constitutional provision, statute or court rule each case turned on, and the basis of the decision: judicial review of a federal or state law, interpreting a statute, supervising the lower courts, and so on. A case can rest on more than one. “Overruled” counts only where the majority opinion says so.

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Timeline

What happened at the Court and how the case got there, newest first.

  1. Jun 18, 1973DecidedDecided · Decided 9–0: reversed and remanded. United States won.
  2. Jan 15, 1973ArguedArgued · Oral argument before the Court.
  3. Not datedTaken upTaken up · The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case (certiorari).
  4. Not datedCourt belowCourt below · Decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit: affirmed.
  5. Not datedBeganBegan · The case began in the Louisiana Western U.S. District Court.
Data notes

From the Supreme Court Database: the court the case began in, the court whose decision the Supreme Court reviewed and what that court did, how the case came to the Court, and the dates of argument and decision. The database does not date the steps in the lower courts. Court names are the database’s.

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Other decisions on the same issue

22 other argued cases since 1946 on miscellaneous federalism, newest first.

  1. Torres v. Texas Department of Public Safety142 S. Ct. 2455Jun 29, 2022 · 142 S. Ct. 2455Federalism5–45–4 band

  2. U.S. Term Limits, Inc., et al. v. Ray Thornton et al.Landmark · Federalism514 U.S. 779May 22, 1995 · 514 U.S. 779Federalism5–45–4 band

  3. United States, et al. v. Texas et al.507 U.S. 529Apr 5, 1993 · 507 U.S. 529Federalism8–18–1 band
  4. Rudy Perpich, Governor of Minnesota, et al. v. Department of Defense, et al.496 U.S. 334Jun 11, 1990 · 496 U.S. 334Federalism9–0Unanimous band

  5. West Virginia v. United States479 U.S. 305Jan 13, 1987 · 479 U.S. 305Federalism9–0Unanimous band
  6. Bennett, Secretary of Education v. Kentucky Department of Education470 U.S. 656Mar 19, 1985 · 470 U.S. 656Federalism8–0Unanimous band
  7. Bennett, Secretary of Education v. New Jersey470 U.S. 632Mar 19, 1985 · 470 U.S. 632Federalism6–27–2 band
  8. Bell, Secretary of Education v. New Jersey et al.461 U.S. 773May 31, 1983 · 461 U.S. 773Federalism9–0Unanimous band
  9. Watt, Secretary of the Interior, et al. v. Alaska451 U.S. 259Apr 21, 1981 · 451 U.S. 259Federalism6–36–3 band
  10. Oregon ex rel. State Land Board v. Corvallis Sand & Gravel Co.429 U.S. 363Jan 12, 1977 · 429 U.S. 363Federalism6–36–3 band
  11. Cousins et al. v. Wigoda et al.419 U.S. 477Jan 15, 1975 · 419 U.S. 477Federalism8–18–1 band
  12. Bonelli Cattle Co. et al. v. Arizona et al.414 U.S. 313Dec 17, 1973 · 414 U.S. 313Federalism7–18–1 band
  13. Zschernig et al. v. Miller, Administrator, et al.389 U.S. 429Jan 15, 1968 · 389 U.S. 429Federalism7–18–1 band

  14. First National Bank of Logan v. Walker Bank & Trust Co.385 U.S. 252Dec 12, 1966 · 385 U.S. 252Federalism9–0Unanimous band
  15. United States v. Yazell382 U.S. 341Jan 17, 1966 · 382 U.S. 341Federalism6–36–3 band
  16. Corbett, Guardian v. Stergios, aka Steryiakis381 U.S. 124May 3, 1965 · 381 U.S. 124Federalism9–0Unanimous band
  17. Bank of America National Trust & Savings Association v. Parnell352 U.S. 29Nov 13, 1956 · 352 U.S. 29Federalism7–27–2 band
  18. Carroll et al. v. Lanza, Doing Business As Lake Charles Electric Co.349 U.S. 408Jun 6, 1955 · 349 U.S. 408Federalism6–36–3 band
  19. Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Co. v. Stude et al.346 U.S. 574Jan 18, 1954 · 346 U.S. 574Federalism7–27–2 band
  20. Cohen, Executrix, et al. v. Beneficial Industrial Loan Corp. et al.337 U.S. 541Jun 20, 1949 · 337 U.S. 541Federalism6–36–3 band
  21. Woods v. Interstate Realty Co.337 U.S. 535Jun 20, 1949 · 337 U.S. 535Federalism6–36–3 band
  22. Ragan v. Merchants Transfer & Warehouse Co.337 U.S. 530Jun 20, 1949 · 337 U.S. 530Federalism8–18–1 band

Data notes

Every other orally argued case with a clear vote, from the 1946 term on, that the Supreme Court Database files under the same issue as this one. The database gives each case one issue from a list of about 270 (abortion, search and seizure of vehicles, the death penalty, and so on), whatever law it turned on.

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Official record

Read the full opinion on Justia and the argument audio on Oyez. Case data from the Supreme Court Database, Version 2026 Release 01, through the 2025 term.