McLaughlin v. Florida
379 U.S. 184 · Decided December 7, 1964 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
McLaughlin v. Florida was decided on December 7, 1964 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Desegregation (general)” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 379 U.S. 184 · 85 S. Ct. 283 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 222 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 63
- Docket number
- 11
- Decided
- December 7, 1964
- Argued
- October 13, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Desegregation (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
McLaughlin et al. v. Florida
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-014, docket 1964-014-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Desegregation (general)”
- Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States
- Katzenbach v. McClung
- Swain v. Alabama
- Coleman v. Alabama
- Arnold v. North Carolina
- Hamilton v. Alabama
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Fortson v. Dorsey
- Carrington v. RashLaw held unconstitutional
- Griffin v. Maryland
- Robinson v. Florida
- Reynolds v. SimsLaw held unconstitutional
- Wmca, Inc. v. LomenzoLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Scranton v. Drew
- Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States
- Katzenbach v. McClung
- Hamm v. City of Rock Hill
- Parsons v. Buckley
- Fortson v. Dorsey
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