Clements v. Fashing
457 U.S. 957 · Decided June 25, 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
Clements v. Fashing was decided on June 25, 1982 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Ballot access” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 457 U.S. 957 · 102 S. Ct. 2836 · 73 L. Ed. 2d 508 · 1982 U.S. LEXIS 9
- Docket number
- 80-1290
- Decided
- June 25, 1982
- Argued
- January 12, 1982
- Court era
- Burger 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
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Ballot access
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- 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 Byron R. White | Dissent | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Clements, Governor of Texas, et al. v. Fashing et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1981-145, docket 1981-145-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Ballot access”
- Anderson v. CelebrezzeLaw held unconstitutional
- Illinois State Board of Elections v. Socialist Workers PartyLaw held unconstitutional
- Munro v. Socialist Workers Party
- Tashjian v. Republican Party of ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
- Mandel v. Bradley
- Lubin v. PanishLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Board of Education v. Pico
- Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court for the County of NorfolkLaw held unconstitutional
- New York v. Ferber
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Claiborne Hardware Co.
- Brown v. HartlageLaw held unconstitutional
- Village of Hoffman Estates v. the Flipside
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Chardon v. Fernandez
- Ralston v. Robinson
- Polk County v. Dodson
- Blanding v. Dubose
- Cabell v. Chavez-Salido
- Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe
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