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Dayton Board of Education v. Brinkman

443 U.S. 526 · 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

Dayton Board of Education v. Brinkman was decided on July 2, 1979 by a vote of 5–4. 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.

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Case details

Citations
443 U.S. 526 · 99 S. Ct. 2971 · 61 L. Ed. 2d 720 · 1979 U.S. LEXIS 145
Docket number
78-627
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
5–4
Majority opinion
Byron R. White
Opinion assigned by
William J. Brennan Jr.
How the case arrived
Certiorari
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

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Potter StewartDissentWrote an opinion
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajorityWrote an opinion
Justice Thurgood MarshallMajority
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerDissent
Justice Harry A. BlackmunMajority
Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr.DissentWrote an opinion
Justice William H. RehnquistDissentWrote an opinion
Justice John Paul StevensMajority

Full case caption

Dayton Board of Education et al. v. Brinkman et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1978-154, docket 1978-154-01.

Other cases on “School desegregation”

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

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

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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