Oyama v. California
332 U.S. 633 · Decided January 19, 1948 · 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
Oyama v. California was decided on January 19, 1948 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Desegregation (general)” 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
- 332 U.S. 633 · 68 S. Ct. 269 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 249 · 1948 U.S. LEXIS 2773
- Docket number
- 44
- Decided
- January 19, 1948
- Argued
- October 22, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Fred M. Vinson
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Desegregation (general)
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Oyama et al. v. California
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-025, docket 1947-025-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Desegregation (general)”
- Bob-Lo Excursion Co. v. Michigan
- Patton v. Mississippi
- Moore v. New York
- Shelley et Ux. v. Kraemer et Ux.
- Hurd et Ux. v. Hodge
- Cassell v. Texas
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
- Fay v. New York
- Independent Warehouses, Inc. v. Scheele
- Kotch v. Board of River Port Pilot Commissioners for the Port of New Orleans
- Goesaert v. Cleary
- Louisiana ex Rel. Francis v. Resweber
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Delgadillo v. Carmichael
- Patton v. Mississippi
- Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
- Le Maistre v. Leffers
- Fong Haw Tan v. Phelan
- Bob-Lo Excursion Co. v. Michigan
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