Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections
360 U.S. 45 · Decided June 8, 1959 · 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
Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections was decided on June 8, 1959 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 360 U.S. 45 · 79 S. Ct. 985 · 3 L. Ed. 2d 1072 · 1959 U.S. LEXIS 852
- Docket number
- 584
- Decided
- June 8, 1959
- Argued
- May 18, 1959
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- 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 Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections
SCDB identifiers: case 1958-099, docket 1958-099-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- United States v. RainesAltered precedent
- United States v. Thomas
- United States v. Alabama
- Gomillion v. LightfootLaw held unconstitutional
- Anderson v. MartinLaw held unconstitutional
- Carrington v. RashLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Allied Stores of Ohio, Inc. v. Bowers
- Phillips Chemical Co. v. Dumas Independent School DistrictLaw held unconstitutional
- Aaron v. Cooper
- Cooper v. Aaron
- Eskridge v. Washington State Board of Prison Terms and ParolesLaw held unconstitutional
- Douglas v. Green
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Aaron v. Cooper
- Cooper v. Aaron
- Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham Board of Education of Jefferson County
- Evers v. Dwyer
- Williams et Ux. v. Lee
- Lee v. Madigan
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