Williams v. Brown
446 U.S. 236 · Decided April 22, 1980 · 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
Williams v. Brown was decided on April 22, 1980 by a vote of 6–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. 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
- 446 U.S. 236 · 100 S. Ct. 1519 · 64 L. Ed. 2d 181 · 1980 U.S. LEXIS 125
- Docket number
- 78-357
- Decided
- April 22, 1980
- Argued
- March 19, 1979
- Reargued
- October 29, 1979
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fifteenth Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Williams et al. v. Brown et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1979-077, docket 1979-077-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- City of Mobile v. Bolden
- Holt Civic Club v. City of Tuscaloosa
- Rodriguez v. Popular Democratic Party
- Rogers v. LodgeLaw held unconstitutional
- Hill v. StoneLaw held unconstitutional
- Hunter v. UnderwoodLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Board of Education of the City School District of New York v. Harris
- Vance v. Terrazas
- Martinez v. California
- California Brewers Assn. v. Bryant
- United States v. Clark
- United States v. Clarke
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