James Purkett v. Jimmy Elem
514 U.S. 765 · Decided May 15, 1995 · 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
James Purkett v. Jimmy Elem was decided on May 15, 1995 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Desegregation (general)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 514 U.S. 765 · 115 S. Ct. 1769 · 131 L. Ed. 2d 834 · 1995 U.S. LEXIS 3181
- Docket number
- 94-802
- Decided
- May 15, 1995
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Desegregation (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent |
Full case caption
James Purkett, Superintendent, Farmington Corrections Center v. Jimmy Elem
SCDB identifiers: case 1994-058, docket 1994-058-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Desegregation (general)”
- Georgia v. Thomas McCollum
- Terry Campbell v. Louisiana
- Thaddeus Donald Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Co., Inc.
- Dionisio Hernandez v. New York
- Powers v. Ohio
- Town of Huntington v. Huntington Branch
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- In re Fred Whitaker
- Anthony S. Austin v. United States
- Jesse Brown v. Fred P. Gardner
- Christine McKennon v. Nashville Banner Publishing Company
- Eloise Anderson v. Verna Edwards, Etc.
- Fred A. Whitaker v. Superior Court of California
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