Batson v. Kentucky
476 U.S. 79 · Decided April 30, 1986 · 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
Batson v. Kentucky was decided on April 30, 1986 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Desegregation (general)” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 476 U.S. 79 · 106 S. Ct. 1712 · 90 L. Ed. 2d 69 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 150
- Docket number
- 84-6263
- Decided
- April 30, 1986
- Argued
- December 12, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Lewis F. Powell Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Desegregation (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Batson v. Kentucky
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-078, docket 1985-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Desegregation (general)”
- Vasquez v. Hillery
- Hobby v. United States
- Palmore v. Sidoti
- Town of Huntington v. Huntington Branch
- Powers v. Ohio
- City of Memphis v. Greene
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Wygant v. Jackson Board of Education
- Reed v. Campbell
- Attorney General of New York v. Soto-LopezLaw held unconstitutional
- Davis v. Bandemer
- Posadas de Puerto Rico Associates v. Tourism Company of Puerto Rico
- United States v. Paradise
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- California State Board of Equalization v. Chemehuevi Indian Tribe
- Green v. Mansour
- Vasquez v. Hillery
- Daniels v. WilliamsAltered precedent
- Davidson v. Cannon
- Malley v. Briggs
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