Briggs v. Elliott
342 U.S. 350 · Decided January 28, 1952 · 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
Briggs v. Elliott was decided on January 28, 1952 by a vote of 7–2. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “School desegregation” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 342 U.S. 350 · 72 S. Ct. 327 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 392 · 1952 U.S. LEXIS 2486
- Docket number
- 273
- Decided
- January 28, 1952
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- School desegregation
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
Briggs et al. v. Elliott et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1951-037, docket 1951-037-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “School desegregation”
- Sweatt v. PainterLaw held unconstitutional
- McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher EducationLaw held unconstitutional
- Brown v. Board of Education of TopekaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Bolling v. SharpeLaw held unconstitutional
- Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
- Lucy v. Adams
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Bindczyck v. Finucane
- United States ex Rel. Jaegeler v. Carusi
- Day-Brite Lighting, Inc. v. Missouri
- Ray v. Blair
- United States v. Spector
- Ray v. Blair
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