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Northcross v. Board of Education of the Memphis

397 U.S. 232 · Decided March 9, 1970 · 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

Northcross v. Board of Education of the Memphis was decided on March 9, 1970 unanimously (7–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “School desegregation” in the Civil Rights area.

Read the opinion

Case details

Citations
397 U.S. 232 · 90 S. Ct. 891 · 25 L. Ed. 2d 246 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 62
Docket number
1136
Decided
March 9, 1970
Court era
Burger Court
Decision type
Per curiam (no oral argument)
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome for petitioner
The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
Vote
7–0 (unanimous)
Opinion assigned by
Warren E. Burger
How the case arrived
Appeal
Issue area
Civil Rights
Decision direction (SCDB)
Liberal what this means

How the Justices voted

JusticeVoteSeparate writing
Justice Hugo L. BlackMajority
Justice William O. DouglasMajority
Justice John M. Harlan IIMajority
Justice William J. Brennan Jr.Majority
Justice Potter StewartMajority
Justice Byron R. WhiteMajority
Chief Justice Warren E. BurgerSpecial concurrenceWrote an opinion

Did not participate: Thurgood Marshall.

Full case caption

Northcross et al. v. Board of Education of the Memphis, Tennessee, City Schools et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1969-059, docket 1969-059-01.

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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