State of Alaska v. United States of America
545 U.S. 75 · No. 128 ORIG · 2004 term · Rehnquist Court
Decided Jun 6, 2005 · argued Jan 10, 2005
Federalism · Submerged Lands Act
Majority opinion: Anthony Kennedy
The voteMajorityDissent
6–36 in the majority, 3 in dissent
3 dissents (6–3)
State of Alaska lost.
What this ruling means
State of Alaska was the petitioner, the side that asked the Supreme Court to review the case. “Lost” means the Court did not give 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.
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.
How the justices voted
Each justice who took part, placed by their Martin–Quinn ideology score for the 2004 term. Filled: the 6 in the majority. Hollow: the 3 in dissent. Colour is the party of the president who appointed them.
Majority(6)
Anthony KennedyWrote the majority opinion
John StevensJoined the majority
Ruth GinsburgJoined the majority
David SouterJoined the majority
Stephen BreyerJoined the majority
Sandra O'ConnorJoined the majority
Dissent(3)
Antonin ScaliaWrote a dissent
William RehnquistJoined a dissent
Clarence ThomasJoined a dissent
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.
The parties
Who brought the case to the Court, who answered it, and how it got there.
- Petitioner
- State of AlaskaState (Alaska)
- Respondent
- United States of AmericaUnited States
- Reached the Court by
- Original jurisdiction (filed directly in the Supreme Court)
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.
The law at issue
The law the Court was asked to apply, and the kind of power it used to decide.
- Provision
- Submerged Lands Acts
- Kind of law
- Federal Statute
- Decided by
- Statutory construction; 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.
Timeline
What happened at the Court and how the case got there, newest first.
- Jun 6, 2005DecidedDecided · Decided 6–3. State of Alaska lost.
- Jan 10, 2005ArguedArgued · Oral argument before the Court.
- Not datedFiledFiled · Filed directly in the Supreme Court, under its original jurisdiction.
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.
Other decisions on the same issue
20 other argued cases since 1946 on submerged Lands Act, newest first.
- United States of America v. State of Alaska521 U.S. 1Jun 19, 1997 · 521 U.S. 1Federalism6–36–3 band
- United States of America v. State of Louisiana et al. (Alabama and Mississippi Boundary Case)485 U.S. 88Mar 1, 1988 · 485 U.S. 88Federalism7–0Unanimous band
- United States v. Louisiana et al. (Alabama and Mississippi Boundary Case)470 U.S. 93Feb 26, 1985 · 470 U.S. 93Federalism8–0Unanimous band
- United States v. Maine et al. (Rhode Island and New York Boundary Case)469 U.S. 504Feb 19, 1985 · 469 U.S. 504Federalism9–0Unanimous band
- California ex rel. State Lands Commission v. United States457 U.S. 273Jun 18, 1982 · 457 U.S. 273Federalism9–0Unanimous band
- United States v. California447 U.S. 1Jun 9, 1980 · 447 U.S. 1Federalism8–0Unanimous band
- United States v. Louisiana et al.446 U.S. 253Apr 28, 1980 · 446 U.S. 253Federalism5–36–3 band
- United States v. California436 U.S. 32May 15, 1978 · 436 U.S. 32Federalism5–36–3 band
- United States v. Alaska422 U.S. 184Jun 23, 1975 · 422 U.S. 184Federalism6–27–2 band
- United States v. Maine et al.420 U.S. 515Mar 17, 1975 · 420 U.S. 515Federalism8–0Unanimous band
- United States v. Florida420 U.S. 531Mar 3, 1975 · 420 U.S. 531Federalism8–0Unanimous band
- United States v. Louisiana et al. (Louisiana Boundary Case)394 U.S. 11Mar 3, 1969 · 394 U.S. 11Federalism5–27–2 band
- United States v. Louisiana et al. (Texas Boundary Case)394 U.S. 1Mar 3, 1969 · 394 U.S. 1Federalism6–18–1 band
- United States v. Louisiana et al.389 U.S. 155Dec 4, 1967 · 389 U.S. 155Federalism6–18–1 band
- United States v. California381 U.S. 139May 17, 1965 · 381 U.S. 139Federalism5–27–2 band
- United States v. Florida et al.363 U.S. 121May 31, 1960 · 363 U.S. 121Federalism6–18–1 band
- United States v. Louisiana et al.363 U.S. 1May 31, 1960 · 363 U.S. 1Federalism6–18–1 band
- Alabama v. Texas et al.347 U.S. 272Mar 15, 1954 · 347 U.S. 272Federalism6–27–2 band
- United States v. Florida339 U.S. 699Jun 5, 1950 · 339 U.S. 699Federalism6–18–1 band
- United States v. California332 U.S. 19Jun 23, 1947 · 332 U.S. 19Federalism6–27–2 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.
Official record
Read the full opinion on Justia. Case data from the Supreme Court Database, Version 2026 Release 01, through the 2025 term.