Mahan v. Howell

410 U.S. 315 · Decided February 21, 1973 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Mahan v. Howell was decided on February 21, 1973 by a vote of 5–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..

Full case caption

Mahan, Secretary, State Board of Elections, et al. v. Howell et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1972-054, docket 1972-054-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)”

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  410 U.S. 743Decided March 20, 19736–3Per curiam
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  412 U.S. 735Decided June 18, 19736–3Byron R. White
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  407 U.S. 191Decided June 12, 19726–3Per curiam

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

• McGinnis v. Royster
  410 U.S. 263Decided February 21, 19737–2Lewis F. Powell Jr.
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  410 U.S. 679Decided March 19, 19736–3Per curiam
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  410 U.S. 686Decided March 19, 19736–3Per curiam
• San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez
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• Gomez v. PerezLaw held unconstitutional
  409 U.S. 535Decided January 17, 19737–2Per curiam

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

• Philpott v. Essex County Welfare BoardLaw held unconstitutional
  409 U.S. 413Decided January 10, 19739–0William O. Douglas
• District of Columbia v. Carter
  409 U.S. 418Decided January 10, 19739–0William J. Brennan Jr.
• United States v. Kras
  409 U.S. 434Decided January 10, 19735–4Harry A. Blackmun
• Goosby v. Osser
  409 U.S. 512Decided January 17, 19739–0William J. Brennan Jr.
• Gomez v. PerezLaw held unconstitutional
  409 U.S. 535Decided January 17, 19737–2Per curiam
• Tillman v. Wheaton-Haven Recreation Assn., Inc.
  410 U.S. 431Decided February 27, 19739–0Harry A. Blackmun

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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