Fortson v. Morris
385 U.S. 231 · Decided December 12, 1966 · 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. Morris was decided on December 12, 1966 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Hugo L. Black 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
- 385 U.S. 231 · 87 S. Ct. 446 · 17 L. Ed. 2d 330 · 1966 U.S. LEXIS 5
- Docket number
- 800
- Decided
- December 12, 1966
- Argued
- December 5, 1966
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Fortson, Secretary of State of Georgia v. Morris et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1966-022, docket 1966-022-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)”
- Swann v. AdamsLaw held unconstitutional
- Kilgarlin v. Hill
- Sailors v. Board of Education of the County of Kent
- Dusch v. Davis
- Lomenzo v. Wmca, Inc.
- Burns v. Richardson
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Long v. District Court of Iowa in and for Lee County
- Whitus v. Georgia
- Swenson v. Bosler
- Anders v. California
- Reitman v. MulkeyLaw held unconstitutional
- Loving et Ux. v. VirginiaLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Long v. District Court of Iowa in and for Lee County
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Errico
- Woodby v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Swann v. AdamsLaw held unconstitutional
- Whitus v. Georgia
- Berenyi v. District Director
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