Estes v. Metropolitan Branches of the Dallas NAACP
444 U.S. 437 · Decided January 21, 1980 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Estes v. Metropolitan Branches of the Dallas NAACP was decided on January 21, 1980 by a vote of 5–3. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “No merits, writ improvidently granted” in the Judicial Power area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 444 U.S. 437 · 100 S. Ct. 716 · 62 L. Ed. 2d 626 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 70
- Docket number
- 78-253
- Decided
- January 21, 1980
- Argued
- October 29, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- No merits, writ improvidently granted
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Legal provision
- Writ improvidently granted
- Type of law
- Other
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.
Full case caption
Estes et al. v. Metropolitan Branches of the Dallas NAACP et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-028, docket 1979-028-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “No merits, writ improvidently granted”
- Massachusetts v. Meehan
- Ramsey v. New York
- Hunter v. Dean
- Kissinger v. Halperin
- McAdams v. McSurely et Ux.
- United States v. Jacobs
Cases on the same legal provision: Writ improvidently granted
- Darden v. Florida
- Florida v. Casal
- Colorado v. Nunez
- Tacon v. Arizona
- City of Springfield v. Kibbe
- California v. Rooney
Same Term, same area (Judicial Power)
- United States v. Benmar Transport & Leasing Corp.
- Strycker's Bay Neighborhood Council, Inc. v. Karlen
- Crowell v. Mader
- Stafford, U.S. Attorney v. Briggs
- Seatrain Shipbuilding Corp. v. Shell Oil Co.
- Massachusetts v. Meehan
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