Tennessee Valley Authority V. Hill

Tennessee Valley Authority V. Hill

Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hiram Hill et al., or TVA v. Hill, 437 U.S. 153 (1978), was a United States Supreme Court case and the first interpretation of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. After the discovery of the snail darter in the Little Tennessee River in August of 1973, a lawsuit was filed against Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in violation of the Endangered Species Act. Plaintiffs argued dam construction would destroy critical habitat and endanger the population of snail darters. It was decided by a 6-3 vote, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hill, et al. and granted an injunction stating that there would be conflict between Tellico Dam operation and the explicit provisions of Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.

The majority opinion, delivered by Justice Burger, affirmed the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in granting an injunction. This decision by the Supreme Court to not allow exemptions confirmed that Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act was a strong substantive provision and helped shaped federal environmental law. The case is commonly cited as an example of canon of construction, in which courts interpret and apply legislation.