Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. v. Northwestern Public Service Co.

Decided May 7, 1951. Robert Houghwout Jackson delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 77 · 341 U.S. 246 (1951) · Cited 608 times

We don’t yet publish a summary of this opinion — read the official text below for the Court’s holding and reasoning.

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.

• Texas & NOR Co. v. Brotherhood of Ry. & Steamship Clerks · 281 U.S. 548 (1930)
• General American Tank Car Corp. v. El Dorado Terminal Co. · 308 U.S. 422 (1940)
• Atlantic Coast Line Railroad v. Florida · 295 U.S. 301 (1935)
• Thompson v. Texas Mexican Railway Co. · 328 U.S. 134 (1946)
• Smith v. Hoboken Railroad, Warehouse & Steamship Connecting Co. · 328 U.S. 123 (1946)
• Myers v. Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. · 303 U.S. 41 (1938)
• Federal Power Commission v. Hope Natural Gas Co. · 320 U.S. 591 (1944)
• Steele v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad · 323 U.S. 192 (1944)
• Virginian Railway Co. v. System Federation No. 40 · 300 U.S. 515 (1937)
• United States v. Morgan · 313 U.S. 409 (1941)
• Hurn v. Oursler · 289 U.S. 238 (1933)
• The Fair v. Kohler Die & Specialty Co. · 228 U.S. 22 (1913)
• Texas & Pacific Railway Co. v. Rigsby · 241 U.S. 33 (1916)
• Board of Comm'rs of Jackson Cty. v. United States · 308 U.S. 343 (1939)
• Great Northern Railway Co. v. Merchants Elevator Co. · 259 U.S. 285 (1922)
• Deckert v. Independence Shares Corp. · 311 U.S. 282 (1940)
• Tunstall v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen · 323 U.S. 210 (1945)
• United States v. Morgan · 307 U.S. 183 (1939)
• First Iowa Hydro-Electric Cooperative v. Federal Power Commission · 328 U.S. 152 (1946)
• United States Alkali Export Ass'n v. United States · 325 U.S. 196 (1945)
• Mitchell Coal & Coke Co. v. Pennsylvania Railroad · 230 U.S. 247 (1913)
• Palmer v. Massachusetts · 308 U.S. 79 (1939)

Cited by

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

• TI ME Inc. v. United States · 359 U.S. 464 (1959)
• Nantahala Power & Light Co. v. Thornburg · 476 U.S. 953 (1986)
• Arkansas Louisiana Gas Co. v. Hall · 453 U.S. 571 (1981)
• Steel Co. v. Citizens for a Better Environment · 523 U.S. 83 (1998)
• Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle · 429 U.S. 274 (1977)
• Davis v. Passman · 442 U.S. 228 (1979)
• Cannon v. University of Chicago · 441 U.S. 677 (1979)
• Duke Power Co. v. Carolina Environmental Study Group, Inc. · 438 U.S. 59 (1978)
• Middlesex County Sewerage Authority v. National Sea Clammers Assn. · 453 U.S. 1 (1981)
• Romero v. International Terminal Operating Co. · 358 U.S. 354 (1959)
• Oneida Indian Nation v. County of Oneida · 414 U.S. 661 (1974)
• Lauritzen v. Larsen · 345 U.S. 571 (1953)
• Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. v. Curran · 456 U.S. 353 (1982)
• California v. Sierra Club · 451 U.S. 287 (1981)
• Maislin Industries, U. S., Inc. v. Primary Steel, Inc. · 497 U.S. 116 (1990)
• Gulf Oil Corp. v. Copp Paving Co. · 419 U.S. 186 (1974)
• Local Union No. 189, Amalgamated Meat Cutters & Butcher Workmen v. Jewel Tea Co. · 381 U.S. 676 (1965)
• International Ass'n of MacHinists v. Central Airlines, Inc. · 372 U.S. 682 (1963)
• Mississippi Power & Light Co. v. Mississippi Ex Rel. Moore · 487 U.S. 354 (1988)
• Federal Trade Commission v. Ruberoid Co. · 343 U.S. 470 (1952)
• Mobil Oil Corp. v. Federal Power Commission · 417 U.S. 283 (1974)
• Federal Maritime Board v. Isbrandtsen Co. · 356 U.S. 481 (1958)
• Federal Power Commission v. Conway Corp. · 426 U.S. 271 (1976)
• Federal Power Commission v. Sunray DX Oil Co. · 391 U.S. 9 (1968)

Official text

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

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Source: the U.S. Reports via govinfo.gov; authoring Justice and vote lineup from the Supreme Court Database (Washington University). 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).