Davis v. Bandemer
478 U.S. 109 · Decided June 30, 1986 · 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
Davis v. Bandemer was decided on June 30, 1986 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 478 U.S. 109 · 106 S. Ct. 2797 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 85 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 122
- Docket number
- 84-1244
- Decided
- June 30, 1986
- Argued
- October 7, 1985
- 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- 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. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Davis et al. v. Bandemer et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-143, docket 1985-143-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)”
- Board of Estimate of City of New York v. MorrisLaw held unconstitutional
- Quinn v. MillsapLaw held unconstitutional
- Karcher v. DaggettLaw held unconstitutional
- Brown v. Thomson
- Upham v. Seamon
- Ball v. James
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Posadas de Puerto Rico Associates v. Tourism Company of Puerto Rico
- Attorney General of New York v. Soto-LopezLaw held unconstitutional
- Reed v. Campbell
- Wygant v. Jackson Board of Education
- Batson v. KentuckyAltered precedent
- United States v. Paradise
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- California State Board of Equalization v. Chemehuevi Indian Tribe
- Green v. Mansour
- Vasquez v. Hillery
- Daniels v. WilliamsAltered precedent
- Davidson v. Cannon
- Malley v. Briggs
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