Afroyim v. Rusk
387 U.S. 253 · Decided May 29, 1967 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Afroyim v. Rusk was decided on May 29, 1967 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Immigration, loss of citizenship or denaturalization” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 387 U.S. 253 · 87 S. Ct. 1660 · 18 L. Ed. 2d 757 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 2844
- Docket number
- 456
- Decided
- May 29, 1967
- Argued
- February 20, 1967
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (citizenship clause)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Full case caption
Afroyim v. Rusk, Secretary of State
SCDB identifiers: case 1966-108, docket 1966-108-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Immigration, loss of citizenship or denaturalization”
- Schneider v. RuskAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Rogers v. Bellei
- Kennedy v. Mendoza-MartinezLaw held unconstitutional
- Schneider v. Rusk
- Rusk v. Cort
- Costello v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (citizenship clause)
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Long v. District Court of Iowa in and for Lee County
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Errico
- Fortson v. Morris
- Woodby v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Swann v. AdamsLaw held unconstitutional
- Whitus v. Georgia
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