Lau v. Nichols
414 U.S. 563 · Decided January 21, 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
Lau v. Nichols was decided on January 21, 1974 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William O. Douglas 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
- 414 U.S. 563 · 94 S. Ct. 786 · 39 L. Ed. 2d 1 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 151
- Docket number
- 72-6520
- Decided
- January 21, 1974
- Argued
- December 10, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- School desegregation
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Lau et al. v. Nichols et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-041, docket 1973-041-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “School desegregation”
- Gilmore v. City of Montgomery
- Milliken v. Bradley
- 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: Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI)
- Guardians Association v. Civil Service Commission of the City of New York
- James Alexander v. Martha Sandoval
- Fort Bend County v. Davis
- Muldrow v. City of St. Louis
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