Morton v. Mancari
417 U.S. 535 · Decided June 17, 1974 · 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
Morton v. Mancari was decided on June 17, 1974 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Affirmative action” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 417 U.S. 535 · 94 S. Ct. 2474 · 41 L. Ed. 2d 290 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 74
- Docket number
- 73-362
- Decided
- June 17, 1974
- Argued
- April 24, 1974
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Harry A. Blackmun
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Affirmative action
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Morton, Secretary of the Interior, et al. v. Mancari et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-139, docket 1973-139-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Affirmative action”
- Defunis v. Odegaard
- Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
- Southeastern Community College v. Davis
- United Steelworkers of America v. Weber
- Fullilove v. Klutznick
- Minnick v. California Department of Corrections
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (equal protection)
- Jimenez v. WeinbergerLaw held unconstitutional
- Weinberger v. WiesenfeldLaw held unconstitutional
- Weinberger v. Salfi
- Frontiero et Vir v. RichardsonLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Kras
- Washington v. Davis
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- United States Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Hibi
- Dennett v. Hogan
- Department of Game of Washington v. Puyallup Tribe
- Kusper v. PontikesLaw held unconstitutional
- Espinoza et Vir v. Farah Manufacturing Co., Inc.
- O'Brien v. SkinnerLaw held unconstitutional
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