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Marks v. Esperdy

377 U.S. 214 · Decided May 18, 1964 · 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

Marks v. Esperdy was decided on May 18, 1964 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
377 U.S. 214 · 84 S. Ct. 1224 · 12 L. Ed. 2d 292 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 1278
Docket number
253
Decided
May 18, 1964
Argued
April 2, 1964
Court era
Warren Court
Decision type
Equally divided vote
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
Vote
4–4
How the case arrived
Certiorari
Legal provision
Immigration and Nationality statutes
Type of law
Federal statute
Decision direction (SCDB)
Conservative what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Hugo L. BlackEqually divided vote
Justice William O. DouglasEqually divided vote
Justice Tom C. ClarkEqually divided vote
Chief Justice Earl WarrenEqually divided vote
Justice John M. Harlan IIEqually divided vote
Justice Potter StewartEqually divided vote
Justice Byron R. WhiteEqually divided vote
Justice Arthur J. GoldbergEqually divided vote

Did not participate: William J. Brennan Jr..

Full case caption

Marks v. Esperdy, District Director, Immigration and Naturalization Service.

SCDB identifiers: case 1963-122, docket 1963-122-01.

Cases on the same legal provision: Immigration and Nationality statutes

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