City of Port Arthur v. United States
459 U.S. 159 · Decided December 13, 1982 · 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
City of Port Arthur v. United States was decided on December 13, 1982 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 459 U.S. 159 · 103 S. Ct. 530 · 74 L. Ed. 2d 334 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 171
- Docket number
- 81-708
- Decided
- December 13, 1982
- Argued
- October 6, 1982
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent |
Full case caption
City of Port Arthur, Texas v. United States et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1982-013, docket 1982-013-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments”
- City of Lockhart v. United States
- Hathorn v. Lovorn
- Blanding v. Dubose
- McCain v. Lybrand
- McDaniel v. Sanchez
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Hampton County Election Commission
Cases on the same legal provision: Voting Rights Act of 1965
- East Carroll Parish School Board v. Marshall
- Joan Growe v. James Emison
- George Voinovich v. Barney Quilter
- Rick Perry v. Shannon Perez
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Miranda
- City of Lockhart v. United States
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Wyoming
- Briscoe v. Lahue
- Arizona v. California
- Tuten v. United States
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