Gomillion v. Lightfoot
364 U.S. 339 · Decided November 14, 1960 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Gomillion v. Lightfoot was decided on November 14, 1960 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 364 U.S. 339 · 81 S. Ct. 125 · 5 L. Ed. 2d 110 · 1960 U.S. LEXIS 189
- Docket number
- 32
- Decided
- November 14, 1960
- Argued
- October 18, 1960
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Felix Frankfurter
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fifteenth Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Gomillion et al. v. Lightfoot, Mayor of Tuskegee, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-005, docket 1960-005-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- United States v. Alabama
- United States v. RainesAltered precedent
- United States v. Thomas
- Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections
- Anderson v. MartinLaw held unconstitutional
- Carrington v. RashLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Chaunt v. United States
- Polites v. United States
- Boynton v. Virginia
- Bush v. Orleans Parish School BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- Monroe v. Pape
- Costello v. United States
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