| Litigants: | Department of Transportation v. Association of American Railroads |
| Arguedate: | December 8 |
| Argueyear: | 2014 |
| Decidedate: | March 9 |
| Decideyear: | 2015 |
| Fullname: | Department of Transportation, et al., Petitioners v. Association of American Railroads |
| Docket: | 13–1080 |
| Usvol: | 575 |
| Uspage: | 43 |
| Parallelcitations: | 135 S. Ct. 1225; 191 L. Ed. 2d 153 |
| Prior: | 721 F.3d 666, 406 U.S. App. D.C. 34 (D.C. Cir. 2013); cert. granted, . |
| Holding: | For purposes of determining the validity of the metrics and standards, Amtrak is a governmental entity. |
| Majority: | Kennedy |
| Joinmajority: | Roberts, Scalia, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan |
| Concurrence: | Alito |
| Concurrence2: | Thomas (in judgment) |
Department of Transportation v. Association of American Railroads, 575 U.S. 43 (2015), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held "for purposes of determining the validity of the metrics and standards, Amtrak is a governmental entity."[1]
Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy authored the Opinion of the Court, remanding the case back to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Associate Justice Samuel Alito authored a concurring opinion, while Associate Justice Clarence Thomas authored an opinion concurring in the judgment.[2]
Thomas's opinion focuses on the separation of executive and legislative powers. He goes on to state that "Section 207 therefore violates the Constitution. Article I, §1, vests the legislative power in Congress, and Amtrak is not Congress. The procedures that §207 sets forth for enacting the metrics and standards also do not comply with bicameralism and presentment. Art. I, §7. For these reasons, the metrics and standards promulgated under this provision are invalid."