Coleman v. Alabama
377 U.S. 129 · Decided May 4, 1964 · 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
Coleman v. Alabama was decided on May 4, 1964 unanimously (9–0). 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
- 377 U.S. 129 · 84 S. Ct. 1152 · 12 L. Ed. 2d 190 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 1364
- Docket number
- 583
- Decided
- May 4, 1964
- Argued
- March 25, 1964
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- 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 William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Coleman v. Alabama
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-107, docket 1963-107-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Desegregation (general)”
- Arnold v. North Carolina
- Hamilton v. Alabama
- Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham.
- City of New Orleans v. BartheLaw held unconstitutional
- McLaughlin v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Reynolds v. SimsLaw held unconstitutional
- Wmca, Inc. v. LomenzoLaw held unconstitutional
- Maryland Committee for Fair Representation v. TawesLaw held unconstitutional
- Davis v. MannLaw held unconstitutional
- Roman v. SincockLaw held unconstitutional
- Lucas v. Forty-Fourth General Assembly of ColoradoLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Shockey v. Illinois
- Ausbie v. California
- Daegele v. Kansas
- Herrear v. Heinze
- Tabb v. California
- Foti v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
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