Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority
365 U.S. 715 · Decided April 17, 1961 · 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
Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority was decided on April 17, 1961 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Desegregation (general)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 365 U.S. 715 · 81 S. Ct. 856 · 6 L. Ed. 2d 45 · 1961 U.S. LEXIS 1297
- Docket number
- 164
- Decided
- April 17, 1961
- Argued
- February 21, 1961
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Desegregation (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1960-072, docket 1960-072-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Desegregation (general)”
- Anderson v. Alabama.
- Wolfe v. North Carolina
- Bailey v. PattersonLaw held unconstitutional
- Turner v. City of MemphisLaw held unconstitutional
- Johnson v. Virginia
- Watson v. City of Memphis
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Smith v. Bennett
- McGowan v. Maryland
- Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Massachusetts, Inc.
- Two Guys From Harrison-Allentown, Inc. v. McGinley
- Braunfeld v. Brown
- Martin v. Walton
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Gomillion v. LightfootLaw held unconstitutional
- Chaunt v. United States
- Polites v. United States
- Boynton v. Virginia
- Bush v. Orleans Parish School BoardLaw held unconstitutional
- Monroe v. Pape
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