McKart v. United States
395 U.S. 185 · Decided May 26, 1969 · 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
McKart v. United States was decided on May 26, 1969 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Military, draftees” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 395 U.S. 185 · 89 S. Ct. 1657 · 23 L. Ed. 2d 194 · 1969 U.S. LEXIS 3179
- Docket number
- 403
- Decided
- May 26, 1969
- Argued
- February 27, 1969
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Thurgood Marshall
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Military, draftees
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Selective Service statutes
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
McKart v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1968-106, docket 1968-106-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Military, draftees”
- Duvernay v. United States.
- Oestereich v. Selective Service System Local Board No. 11
- Gutknecht v. United States
- Breen v. Selective Service Local Board No. 16
- Kolden v. Selective Service Local Board No. 4
- Toussie v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Selective Service statutes
- Clark v. Gabriel
- United States v. O'Brien
- Welsh v. United States
- Eagar v. Magma Copper Co.
- United States v. Weller
- Gillette v. United States
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Williams v. RhodesLaw held unconstitutional
- Oestereich v. Selective Service System Local Board No. 11
- United States v. Augenblick
- Gardner v. California
- Hunter v. EricksonLaw held unconstitutional
- Alabama State Teachers Assn. v. Alabama Public School and College Authority
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