Hunter v. Underwood
471 U.S. 222 · Decided April 16, 1985 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Hunter v. Underwood was decided on April 16, 1985 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 471 U.S. 222 · 105 S. Ct. 1916 · 85 L. Ed. 2d 222 · 1985 U.S. LEXIS 2740
- Docket number
- 84-76
- Decided
- April 16, 1985
- Argued
- February 26, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Did not participate: Lewis F. Powell Jr..
Full case caption
Hunter et al. v. Underwood et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1984-081, docket 1984-081-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- Rogers v. LodgeLaw held unconstitutional
- Rodriguez v. Popular Democratic Party
- City of Mobile v. Bolden
- Williams v. Brown
- Holt Civic Club v. City of Tuscaloosa
- Hill v. StoneLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. WardLaw held unconstitutional
- Williams v. VermontLaw held unconstitutional
- Hooper v. Bernalillo County AssessorLaw held unconstitutional
- City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Bernal v. FainterLaw held unconstitutional
- Palmore v. Sidoti
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Thurston
- Alexander v. Choate
- Brandon v. Holt
- United States v. Dann
- Ake v. Oklahoma
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Hampton County Election Commission
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