Gordon v. Lance
403 U.S. 1 · Decided June 7, 1971 · 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
Gordon v. Lance was decided on June 7, 1971 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 403 U.S. 1 · 91 S. Ct. 1889 · 29 L. Ed. 2d 273 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 30
- Docket number
- 96
- Decided
- June 7, 1971
- Argued
- January 18, 1971
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Co-authored an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Full case caption
Gordon et al. v. Lance et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-119, docket 1970-119-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- Oregon v. MitchellLaw held unconstitutional
- Roudebush v. Hartke
- City of Phoenix v. KolodziejskiLaw held unconstitutional
- Evans v. Cornman
- Goosby v. Osser
- Kramer v. Union Free School District No. 15Law held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Whitcomb v. ChavisLaw held unconstitutional
- Abate v. Mundt
- Palmer v. Thompson
- Graham v. RichardsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Jenness v. Fortson
- James v. Valtierra
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Oregon v. MitchellLaw held unconstitutional
- Perkins v. Matthews
- Kennerly v. District Court of the Ninth Judicial District of Montana
- Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp.
- Relford v. Commandant, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Ft. Leavenworth
- Boddie v. ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
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