United States v. Thomas
362 U.S. 58 · Decided February 29, 1960 · 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
United States v. Thomas was decided on February 29, 1960 unanimously (9–0). The Court vacated 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
- 362 U.S. 58 · 80 S. Ct. 612 · 4 L. Ed. 2d 535 · 1960 U.S. LEXIS 1565
- Docket number
- 667
- Decided
- February 29, 1960
- Argued
- February 23, 1960
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Thomas, Registrar of Voters of Washington Parish, Louisiana, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1959-042, docket 1959-042-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- United States v. RainesAltered precedent
- United States v. Alabama
- Gomillion v. LightfootLaw held unconstitutional
- Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections
- Anderson v. MartinLaw held unconstitutional
- Carrington v. RashLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Kinsella v. United States ex Rel. SingletonLaw held unconstitutional
- Grisham v. HaganLaw held unconstitutional
- McElroy v. United States ex Rel. GuagliardoLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. RainesAltered precedent
- Willis v. United States
- Mackey v. Mendoza-Martinez
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