Midlantic National Bank v. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Decided January 27, 1986. Lewis Franklin Powell Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 84-801 · 474 U.S. 494 (1986) · Cited 763 times

Holding

A trustee in bankruptcy may not abandon property in contravention of a state statute or regulation that is reasonably designed to protect the public health or safety from identified hazards.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 5–4.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Ohio v. Kovacs · 469 U.S. 274 (1985)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Bildisco & Bildisco · 465 U.S. 513 (1984)
• Garcia v. United States · 469 U.S. 70 (1984)
• Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. v. Curran · 456 U.S. 353 (1982)
• United States v. Security Industrial Bank · 459 U.S. 70 (1982)
• Securities & Exchange Commission v. United States Realty & Improvement Co. · 310 U.S. 434 (1940)
• Edmonds v. Compagnie Generale Transatlantique · 443 U.S. 256 (1979)
• Chemical Manufacturers Ass'n v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. · 470 U.S. 116 (1985)
• Palmer v. Massachusetts · 308 U.S. 79 (1939)
• Brown v. O'KEEFE · 300 U.S. 598 (1937)
• Kothe v. R. C. Taylor Trust · 280 U.S. 224 (1930)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• United States v. Ron Pair Enterprises, Inc. · 489 U.S. 235 (1989)
• Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare v. Davenport · 495 U.S. 552 (1990)
• BFP v. Resolution Trust Corporation · 511 U.S. 531 (1994)
• Kelly v. Robinson · 479 U.S. 36 (1986)
• Dewsnup v. Timm · 502 U.S. 410 (1992)
• Hartford Underwriters Insurance v. Union Planters Bank, N. A. · 530 U.S. 1 (2000)
• Davis v. Michigan Department of the Treasury · 489 U.S. 803 (1989)
• Williamson v. United States · 512 U.S. 594 (1994)
• Green v. Bock Laundry MacHine Co. · 490 U.S. 504 (1989)
• Mansell v. Mansell · 490 U.S. 581 (1989)
• Bank of America National Trust & Savings Ass'n v. 203 North LaSalle Street Partnership · 526 U.S. 434 (1999)
• United States v. Noland · 517 U.S. 535 (1996)
• United States v. Reorganized CF&I Fabricators of Utah, Inc. · 518 U.S. 213 (1996)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Lewis Franklin Powell Jr.’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1986). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).