O'Brien v. Skinner
414 U.S. 524 · Decided January 16, 1974 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
O'Brien v. Skinner was decided on January 16, 1974 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger 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
- 414 U.S. 524 · 94 S. Ct. 740 · 38 L. Ed. 2d 702 · 1974 U.S. LEXIS 150
- Docket number
- 72-1058
- Decided
- January 16, 1974
- Argued
- November 6, 1973
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 William O. Douglas | Concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Concurrence | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent |
Full case caption
O'Brien et al. v. Skinner, Sheriff, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1973-039, docket 1973-039-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- Richardson v. Ramirez
- Goosby v. Osser
- Hill v. StoneLaw held unconstitutional
- Roudebush v. Hartke
- Gordon v. Lance
- Oregon v. MitchellLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Memorial Hospital v. Maricopa CountyLaw held unconstitutional
- Mayor of Philadelphia v. Educational Equality League
- Storer v. Brown
- American Party of Texas v. White
- Lubin v. PanishLaw held unconstitutional
- Village of Belle Terre v. Boraas
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.
- Lau v. Nichols
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