Ray v. Blair
343 U.S. 154 · Decided April 3, 1952 · 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
Ray v. Blair was decided on April 3, 1952 by a vote of 5–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 343 U.S. 154 · 72 S. Ct. 598 · 96 L. Ed. 2d 852 · 1952 U.S. LEXIS 2245
- Docket number
- 649
- Decided
- April 3, 1952
- Argued
- March 31, 1952
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–2
- How the case arrived
- Stay
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Article II, Section 1 (executive power)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Did not participate: Hugo L. Black, Felix Frankfurter.
Full case caption
Ray, Chairman of the State Democratic Executive Committee of Alabama, v. Blair
SCDB identifiers: case 1951-064, docket 1951-064-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- Ray v. Blair
- Day-Brite Lighting, Inc. v. Missouri
- Terry v. Adams
- Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections
- United States v. RainesAltered precedent
- United States v. Thomas
Cases on the same legal provision: Article II, Section 1 (executive power)
- Zschernig v. MillerLaw held unconstitutional
- American Insurance Association v. John Garamendi
- Free Enterprise Fund and Beckstead and Watts v. Public Company Accounting Oversight BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- Bosse v. Oklahoma
- Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection BureauLaw held unconstitutional
- Trump v. Vance
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Bindczyck v. Finucane
- United States ex Rel. Jaegeler v. Carusi
- Briggs v. Elliott
- Day-Brite Lighting, Inc. v. Missouri
- United States v. Spector
- Ray v. Blair
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