Lucious Abrams, Jr., G. L. Avery v. Davida Johnson
521 U.S. 74 · Decided June 19, 1997 · 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
Lucious Abrams, Jr., G. L. Avery v. Davida Johnson was decided on June 19, 1997 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 521 U.S. 74 · 117 S. Ct. 1925 · 138 L. Ed. 2d 285 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 3863
- Docket number
- 95-1425
- Decided
- June 19, 1997
- Argued
- December 9, 1996
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- 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 | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Lucious Abrams, Jr., G. L. Avery, William Gary Chambers, Sr., and Karen Watson v. Davida Johnson et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-076, docket 1996-076-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments”
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- Thomas Young v. Kirk Fordice
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- Fortis Morse v. Republican Party of Virginia
Cases on the same legal provision: Voting Rights Act of 1965
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- Rick Perry v. Shannon Perez
- East Carroll Parish School Board v. Marshall
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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