Fortson v. Dorsey
379 U.S. 433 · Decided January 18, 1965 · 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
Fortson v. Dorsey was decided on January 18, 1965 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. 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
- 379 U.S. 433 · 85 S. Ct. 498 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 401 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 2005
- Docket number
- 178
- Decided
- January 18, 1965
- Argued
- December 10, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Fortson, Secretary of State of Georgia v. Dorsey et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-028, docket 1964-028-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)”
- Fortson v. Toombs
- Parsons v. Buckley
- Hughes v. Wmca, Inc.
- Forty-Fourth General Assembly of Colorado v. Lucas
- Scranton v. Drew
- Hearne v. Smylie
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- McLaughlin v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Carrington v. RashLaw held unconstitutional
- Swain v. Alabama
- Griffin v. Maryland
- Robinson v. Florida
- Murphy v. Waterfront Commission of New York HarborAltered precedent
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Scranton v. Drew
- McLaughlin v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States
- Katzenbach v. McClung
- Hamm v. City of Rock Hill
- Parsons v. Buckley
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