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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

Full case caption

Clements, Governor of Texas, et al. v. Fashing et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1981-145, docket 1981-145-01.

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Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)

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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