Gilmore v. City of Montgomery
417 U.S. 556 · Decided June 17, 1974 · 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
Gilmore v. City of Montgomery was decided on June 17, 1974 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun 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
- 417 U.S. 556 · 94 S. Ct. 2416 · 41 L. Ed. 2d 304 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 13
- Docket number
- 72-1517
- Decided
- June 17, 1974
- Argued
- January 15, 1974
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Gilmore et al. v. City of Montgomery, Alabama, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-140, docket 1973-140-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “School desegregation”
- Milliken v. Bradley
- Lau v. Nichols
- Norwood v. Harrison
- Keyes v. School District No. 1
- School Board of City of Richmond v. State Board of Education of Virginia
- Wright v. Council of the City of Emporia
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Geduldig v. Aiello
- Fuller v. Oregon
- Kahn v. Shevin
- Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas
- Lubin v. PanishLaw held unconstitutional
- Mayor of Philadelphia v. Educational Equality League
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- United States Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hibi
- Dennett v. Hogan
- Department of Game of Washington v. Puyallup Tribe
- Kusper v. PontikesLaw held unconstitutional
- Espinoza et Vir v. Farah Manufacturing Co., Inc.
- O'Brien v. SkinnerLaw 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