CaseTrail

Abernathy v. Alabama.

380 U.S. 447 · Decided April 5, 1965 · Supreme Court of the United States

Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.

At a glance

Abernathy v. Alabama. was decided on April 5, 1965 unanimously (7–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sit-in demonstrations against racial discrimination” in the Civil Rights area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
380 U.S. 447 · 85 S. Ct. 1101 · 14 L. Ed. 2d 151 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 1485
Docket number
9
Decided
April 5, 1965
Argued
October 12, 1964
Court era
Warren Court
Decision type
Per curiam (orally argued)
Disposition
Reversed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
7–0 (unanimous)
Opinion assigned by
Earl Warren
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Issue area
Civil Rights
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William O. DouglasMajority
Justice Tom C. ClarkMajority
Chief Justice Earl WarrenMajority
Justice John M. Harlan IIMajority
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Arthur J. GoldbergMajority

Did not participate: Hugo L. Black, Byron R. White.

Full case caption

Abernathy et al. v. Alabama.

SCDB identifiers: case 1964-089, docket 1964-089-01.

Other cases on “Sit-in demonstrations against racial discrimination”

See all

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

See all

Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error