McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

339 U.S. 637 · Decided June 5, 1950 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education was decided on June 5, 1950 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “School desegregation” 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

Full case caption

McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1949-085, docket 1949-085-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “School desegregation”

• Sweatt v. PainterLaw held unconstitutional
  339 U.S. 629Decided June 5, 19509–0Fred M. Vinson
• Briggs v. Elliott
  342 U.S. 350Decided January 28, 19527–2Per curiam
• Fisher v. Hurst
  333 U.S. 147Decided February 16, 19487–2Per curiam
• Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
  332 U.S. 631Decided January 12, 19489–0Per curiam
• Brown v. Board of Education of TopekaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
  347 U.S. 483Decided May 17, 19549–0Earl Warren
• Bolling v. SharpeLaw held unconstitutional
  347 U.S. 497Decided May 17, 19549–0Earl Warren

See all

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

• Cassell v. Texas
  339 U.S. 282Decided April 24, 19507–1Stanley F. Reed
• United States v. Burnison
  339 U.S. 87Decided March 13, 19507–1Stanley F. Reed
• Cities Service Gas Co. v. Peerless Oil & Gas Co.
  340 U.S. 179Decided December 11, 19508–1Tom C. Clark
• Niemotko v. Maryland
  340 U.S. 268Decided January 15, 19519–0Fred M. Vinson
• Shepherd v. Florida
  341 U.S. 50Decided April 9, 19519–0Per curiam
• Cohen v. Beneficial Industrial Loan Corp.
  337 U.S. 541Decided June 20, 19496–3Robert H. Jackson

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

• Oakley v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
  338 U.S. 278Decided November 14, 19498–0Harold H. Burton
• Savorgnan v. United States
  338 U.S. 491Decided January 9, 19506–2Harold H. Burton
• United States ex Rel. Eichenlaub v. Shaughnessy
  338 U.S. 521Decided January 16, 19504–3Harold H. Burton
• Wong Yang Sung v. McGrath
  339 U.S. 33Decided February 20, 19506–1Robert H. Jackson
• Hiatt v. Brown
  339 U.S. 103Decided March 13, 19508–0Tom C. Clark
• Cassell v. Texas
  339 U.S. 282Decided April 24, 19507–1Stanley F. Reed

See all

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