Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris

489 U.S. 688 · Decided March 22, 1989 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris was decided on March 22, 1989 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a municipal or other local ordinance unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Board of Estimate of City of New York et al. v. Morris et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1988-056, docket 1988-056-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)”

• Quinn v. MillsapLaw held unconstitutional
  491 U.S. 95Decided June 15, 19899–0Harry A. Blackmun
• Davis v. Bandemer
  478 U.S. 109Decided June 30, 19866–3Byron R. White
• United States Department of Commerce v. Montana
  503 U.S. 442Decided March 31, 19929–0John Paul Stevens
• George Voinovich v. Barney Quilter
  507 U.S. 146Decided February 24, 19939–0Sandra Day O'Connor
• Ruth O. Shaw v. Janet Reno
  509 U.S. 630Decided June 28, 19935–4Sandra Day O'Connor
• Karcher v. DaggettLaw held unconstitutional
  462 U.S. 725Decided June 22, 19835–4William J. Brennan Jr.

See all

Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)

• City of Richmond v. J. A. Croson CompanyLaw held unconstitutional
  488 U.S. 469Decided January 23, 19896–3Sandra Day O'Connor
• Allegheny Pittsburgh Coal Co. v. County Commission of Webster CountyLaw held unconstitutional
  488 U.S. 336Decided January 18, 19899–0William H. Rehnquist
• Penson v. Ohio
  488 U.S. 75Decided November 29, 19888–1John Paul Stevens
• Clark v. JeterLaw held unconstitutional
  486 U.S. 456Decided June 6, 19889–0Sandra Day O'Connor
• Bankers Life & Casualty Co. v. Crenshaw
  486 U.S. 71Decided May 16, 19886–1Thurgood Marshall
• Board of Education of Oklahoma City Public Schools v. Robert L. Dowell
  498 U.S. 237Decided January 15, 19915–3William H. Rehnquist

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

• Town of Huntington v. Huntington Branch
  488 U.S. 15Decided November 7, 19886–0Per curiam
• Penson v. Ohio
  488 U.S. 75Decided November 29, 19888–1John Paul Stevens
• Pittston Coal Group v. Sebben
  488 U.S. 105Decided December 6, 19885–4Antonin Scalia
• Owens v. Okure
  488 U.S. 235Decided January 10, 19899–0Thurgood Marshall
• City of Richmond v. J. A. Croson CompanyLaw held unconstitutional
  488 U.S. 469Decided January 23, 19896–3Sandra Day O'Connor
• In re McDonald
  489 U.S. 180Decided February 21, 19895–4Per curiam

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