Maryland Committee for Fair Representation v. Tawes
377 U.S. 656 · Decided June 15, 1964 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Maryland Committee for Fair Representation v. Tawes was decided on June 15, 1964 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Earl Warren 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
Case details
- Citations
- 377 U.S. 656 · 84 S. Ct. 1429 · 12 L. Ed. 2d 595 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 1004
- Docket number
- 29
- Decided
- June 15, 1964
- Argued
- November 13, 1963
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- 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 William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Maryland Committee for Fair Representation et al. v. Tawes, Governor of Maryland, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-142, docket 1963-142-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)”
- Reynolds v. SimsLaw held unconstitutional
- Wmca, Inc. v. LomenzoLaw held unconstitutional
- Davis v. MannLaw held unconstitutional
- Roman v. SincockLaw held unconstitutional
- Lucas v. Forty-Fourth General Assembly of ColoradoLaw held unconstitutional
- Meyers v. ThigpenLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Murphy v. Waterfront Commission of New York HarborAltered precedent
- Griffin v. Maryland
- Robinson v. Florida
- Coleman v. Alabama
- Arnold v. North Carolina
- Anderson v. MartinLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Shockey v. Illinois
- Ausbie v. California
- Daegele v. Kansas
- Herrear v. Heinze
- Tabb v. California
- Foti v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
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