Columbus Board of Education v. Penick
443 U.S. 449 · Decided July 2, 1979 · 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
Columbus Board of Education v. Penick was decided on July 2, 1979 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “School desegregation” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 443 U.S. 449 · 99 S. Ct. 2941 · 61 L. Ed. 2d 666 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 144
- Docket number
- 78-610
- Decided
- July 2, 1979
- Argued
- April 24, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- School desegregation
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Columbus Board of Education et al. v. Penick et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1978-153, docket 1978-153-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “School desegregation”
- Dayton Board of Education v. Brinkman
- Board of Education of the City School District of New York v. Harris
- School District of Omaha v. United States
- Brennan v. Armstrong
- Milliken v. Bradley
- Dayton Board of Education v. Brinkman
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Rose v. Mitchell
- Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney
- Parham v. Hughes
- Caban v. Mohammed et Ux.Law held unconstitutional
- Ambach v. Norwick
- Orr v. OrrLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Trustees of Keene State College v. Sweeney
- Dougherty County v. White
- Holt Civic Club v. City of Tuscaloosa
- Califano v. Aznavorian
- Lalli v. Lalli
- Duren v. MissouriAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
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