State of Wyoming v. State of Oklahoma (502 U.S. 437)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided January 22, 1992 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 502 U.S. 437 · 112 S. Ct. 789
- Decided
- January 22, 1992
- Term
- October Term 1991
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority author
- Justice White
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
- Constitutional ruling
- State/territorial law held unconstitutional
Opinion excerpt
Justice White delivered the opinion of the Court. On April 14, 1988, Wyoming submitted a motion for leave to file a complaint under this Court’s original jurisdiction provided by Art. Ill, § 2, of the Constitution. The complaint challenged Okla. Stat., Tit. 45, §§939 and 939.1 (Supp. 1988) (Act), which requires Oklahoma coal-fired electric generating plants producing power for sale in Oklahoma to burn a mixture of coal containing at least 10% Oklahoma-mined coal. Wyoming sought a declaration that the Act violates the Commerce Clause, U. S. Const., Art. I, § 8, cl. 3, and an injunction permanently enjoining enforcement of the Act. On June 30, 1988, we granted Wyoming leave to file its bill of complaint over Oklahoma’s objections that Wyoming lacked standing to bring this action and, in any event, should not be permitted to invoke this Court’s original jurisdiction. 487 U. S. 1231. Oklahoma next filed a motion to dismiss on August 29, 1988, raising these same arguments. We denied the motion to dismiss on October 31, 1988, and ordered Oklahoma to answer Wyoming’s complaint within 30 days. 488 U. S. 921. We thereafter appointed the Special Master, 489 U. S. 1063 (1989), who ordered the parties to complete discovery and to file a stipulation of uncontested facts, any affidavits believed to be necessary, and a short statement of any disputed issues of material fact that may require…
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