School Board of City of Richmond v. State Board of Education of Virginia
412 U.S. 92 · Decided May 21, 1973 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
School Board of City of Richmond v. State Board of Education of Virginia was decided on May 21, 1973 by a vote of 4–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The Justices were equally divided, which leaves the lower court's judgment in place without setting precedent. SCDB classifies its main issue as “School desegregation” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 412 U.S. 92 · 93 S. Ct. 1952 · 36 L. Ed. 2d 771 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 68
- Docket number
- 72-549
- Decided
- May 21, 1973
- Argued
- April 23, 1973
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Equally divided vote
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 4–4
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- School desegregation
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Equally divided vote | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Equally divided vote | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Equally divided vote |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
School Board of City of Richmond, Virginia, et al. v. State Board of Education of Virginia et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-124, docket 1972-124-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “School desegregation”
- Keyes v. School District No. 1
- Norwood v. Harrison
- Lau v. Nichols
- Wright v. Council of the City of Emporia
- United States v. Scotland Neck City Board of EducationLaw held unconstitutional
- Gilmore v. City of Montgomery
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Philpott v. Essex County Welfare BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- District of Columbia v. Carter
- United States v. Kras
- Goosby v. Osser
- Gomez v. PerezLaw held unconstitutional
- Mahan v. HowellLaw held unconstitutional
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