Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. Warren
| Virginia Uranium, Inc v. Warren | |
|---|---|
| Argued November 5, 2018 Decided June 17, 2019 | |
| Full case name | Virginia Uranium Inc., et al., v. John Warren, et al. |
| Docket no. | 16-1275 |
| Citations | 587 U.S. (more) 139 S. Ct. 1894; 204 L. Ed. 2d 377 |
| Opinion announcement | Opinion announcement |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Motion to dismiss granted, Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. McAuliffe, 147 F. Supp. 3d 462 (W.D. Va. 2015); affirmed sub nom. Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. Warren, 848 F.3d 590 (4th Cir. 2017); cert. granted, 138 S. Ct. 2023 (2018). |
| Holding | |
| The Atomic Energy Act does not preempt Virginia's moratorium on uranium mining | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Plurality | Gorsuch, joined by Thomas, Kavanaugh |
| Concurrence | Ginsburg (in judgment), joined by Sotomayor, Kagan |
| Dissent | Roberts, joined by Breyer, Alito |
| Laws applied | |
| Atomic Energy Act of 1954, United States Constitution, Article VI | |
Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. Warren, 587 U.S. ___ (2019), was a United States Supreme Court case from the October 2018 term. In a split opinion, the Court held that the state of Virginia's ban on uranium mining did not conflict with the Atomic Energy Act.
This case is significant because of its strong impact on environmentalism as well as its discussion of the interplay between states' rights and federal supremacy. It also featured an extensive discussion as to what extent courts should evaluate a legislature's motive for passing a law.