Burns v. Richardson
384 U.S. 73 · Decided April 25, 1966 · 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
Burns v. Richardson was decided on April 25, 1966 unanimously (8–0). The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 384 U.S. 73 · 86 S. Ct. 1286 · 16 L. Ed. 2d 376 · 1966 U.S. LEXIS 1760
- Docket number
- 318
- Decided
- April 25, 1966
- Argued
- February 21, 1966
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority |
Did not participate: Abe Fortas.
Full case caption
Burns, Governor of Hawaii v. Richardson et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1965-094, docket 1965-094-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)”
- Swann v. Adams
- Lomenzo v. Wmca, Inc.
- Wmca, Inc. v. Lomenzo
- Fortson v. Morris
- Swann v. AdamsLaw held unconstitutional
- Kilgarlin v. Hill
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Harper v. Virginia Board of ElectionsAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Rinaldi v. YeagerLaw held unconstitutional
- Baxstrom v. HeroldLaw held unconstitutional
- Evans v. Newton
- Rogers v. Paul
- Long v. District Court of Iowa in and for Lee County
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Wmca, Inc. v. Lomenzo
- Bradley v. School Board of City of Richmond
- Rogers v. Paul
- Soric v. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
- Evans v. Newton
- California v. Buzard
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