Gaffney v. Cummings

412 U.S. 735 · Decided June 18, 1973 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Gaffney v. Cummings was decided on June 18, 1973 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

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Gaffney v. Cummings et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1972-152, docket 1972-152-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)”

• White v. RegesterLaw held unconstitutional
  412 U.S. 755Decided June 18, 19736–3Byron R. White
• White v. WeiserLaw held unconstitutional
  412 U.S. 783Decided June 18, 19739–0Byron R. White
• Salyer Land Co. v. Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District
  410 U.S. 719Decided March 20, 19736–3William H. Rehnquist
• Associated Enterprises, Inc. v. Toltec Watershed Improvement District
  410 U.S. 743Decided March 20, 19736–3Per curiam
• Mahan v. HowellLaw held unconstitutional
  410 U.S. 315Decided February 21, 19735–3William H. Rehnquist
• Taylor v. McKeithen
  407 U.S. 191Decided June 12, 19726–3Per curiam

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Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)

• Keyes v. School District No. 1
  413 U.S. 189Decided June 21, 19737–1William J. Brennan Jr.
• Norwood v. Harrison
  413 U.S. 455Decided June 25, 19739–0Warren E. Burger
• Sugarman v. DougallLaw held unconstitutional
  413 U.S. 634Decided June 25, 19738–1Harry A. Blackmun
• In re Griffiths
  413 U.S. 717Decided June 25, 19737–2Lewis F. Powell Jr.
• New Jersey Welfare Rights Organization v. CahillLaw held unconstitutional
  411 U.S. 619Decided May 7, 19738–1Per curiam
• San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez
  411 U.S. 1Decided March 21, 19735–4Lewis F. Powell Jr.

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

• Philpott v. Essex County Welfare BoardLaw held unconstitutional
  409 U.S. 413Decided January 10, 19739–0William O. Douglas
• District of Columbia v. Carter
  409 U.S. 418Decided January 10, 19739–0William J. Brennan Jr.
• United States v. Kras
  409 U.S. 434Decided January 10, 19735–4Harry A. Blackmun
• Goosby v. Osser
  409 U.S. 512Decided January 17, 19739–0William J. Brennan Jr.
• Gomez v. PerezLaw held unconstitutional
  409 U.S. 535Decided January 17, 19737–2Per curiam
• Mahan v. HowellLaw held unconstitutional
  410 U.S. 315Decided February 21, 19735–3William H. Rehnquist

See all

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