McDonald v. Board of Election Commissioners of Chicago
394 U.S. 802 · Decided April 28, 1969 · 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
McDonald v. Board of Election Commissioners of Chicago was decided on April 28, 1969 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 394 U.S. 802 · 89 S. Ct. 1404 · 22 L. Ed. 2d 739 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 1771
- Docket number
- 68
- Decided
- April 28, 1969
- Argued
- November 19, 1968
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority |
Full case caption
McDonald et al. v. Board of Election Commissioners of Chicago et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1968-090, docket 1968-090-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- Kramer v. Union Free School District No. 15Law held unconstitutional
- Cipriano v. City of HoumaLaw held unconstitutional
- Evans v. Cornman
- City of Phoenix v. KolodziejskiLaw held unconstitutional
- Oregon v. MitchellLaw held unconstitutional
- Gordon v. Lance
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Shapiro v. ThompsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Moore v. OgilvieAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Hadnott v. Amos
- Williams v. Oklahoma City
- Johnson v. Avery
- Gardner v. California
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Williams v. RhodesLaw held unconstitutional
- Oestereich v. Selective Service System Local Board No. 11
- United States v. Augenblick
- Gardner v. California
- Hunter v. EricksonLaw held unconstitutional
- Alabama State Teachers Assn. v. Alabama Public School and College Authority
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