Murphy J. Foster, Jr. v. G. Scott Love
522 U.S. 67 · Decided December 2, 1997 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Murphy J. Foster, Jr. v. G. Scott Love was decided on December 2, 1997 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 522 U.S. 67 · 118 S. Ct. 464 · 139 L. Ed. 2d 369 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 7331
- Docket number
- 96-670
- Decided
- December 2, 1997
- Argued
- October 6, 1997
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 4, Paragraph 1 (elections clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Murphy J. Foster, Jr., Governor of Louisiana, et al. v. G. Scott Love, Paul S. Bergeron, Kathleen B. Balhoff, and Bennie Baker-Bourgeois
SCDB identifiers: case 1997-006, docket 1997-006-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- Carl T. C. Gutierrez and Madeleine Z. Bordallo v. Joseph F. Ada and Felix P. Camacho
- Harold F. Rice v. Benjamin J. CayetanoLaw held unconstitutional
- George W. Bush and Richard Cheney v. Albert Gore, Jr.
- William Crawford v. Marion County Election Board
- Jennifer Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party
- Hunter v. UnderwoodLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 4, Paragraph 1 (elections clause)
- Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission
- Moore v. HarperLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Carson Lynn Brown v. R. Williams
- City of Monroe v. United States
- Lynne Kalina v. Rodney Fletcher
- South Dakota v. Yankton Sioux Tribe
- Dolores M. Oubre v. Entergy Operations, Inc.
- Lorenzo Arteaga v. United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
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