Oregon v. Mitchell
400 U.S. 112 · Decided December 21, 1970 · 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
Oregon v. Mitchell was decided on December 21, 1970 by a vote of 5–4. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 400 U.S. 112 · 91 S. Ct. 260 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 272 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 1
- Docket number
- 43 ORIG
- Decided
- December 21, 1970
- Argued
- October 19, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Original jurisdiction
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent |
Full case caption
Oregon v. Mitchell, Attorney General
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-014, docket 1970-014-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- Gordon v. Lance
- City of Phoenix v. KolodziejskiLaw held unconstitutional
- Evans v. Cornman
- Roudebush v. Hartke
- Kramer v. Union Free School District No. 15Law held unconstitutional
- Cipriano v. City of HoumaLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Tate v. ShortLaw held unconstitutional
- Labine v. Vincent
- North Carolina State Board of Education v. SwannLaw held unconstitutional
- James v. Valtierra
- Whitcomb v. ChavisLaw held unconstitutional
- Abate v. Mundt
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Perkins v. Matthews
- Kennerly v. District Court of the Ninth Judicial District of Montana
- Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp.
- Relford v. Commandant, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Ft. Leavenworth
- Boddie v. ConnecticutLaw held unconstitutional
- Tate v. ShortLaw 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