Papasan v. Allain
478 U.S. 265 · Decided July 7, 1986 · 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
Papasan v. Allain was decided on July 7, 1986 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “School desegregation” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 478 U.S. 265 · 106 S. Ct. 2932 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 209 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 127
- Docket number
- 85-499
- Decided
- July 7, 1986
- Argued
- April 22, 1986
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- School desegregation
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Eleventh Amendment
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority |
Full case caption
Papasan, Superintendent of Education, et al. v. Allain, Governor of Mississippi, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-148, docket 1985-148-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “School desegregation”
- Bob Jones University v. United StatesAltered precedent
- Missouri v. Jenkins
- Washington v. Seattle School District No. 1Law held unconstitutional
- Crawford v. Board of Education of the City of Los Angeles
- Board of Education of Oklahoma City Public Schools v. Robert L. Dowell
- Robert R. Freeman v. Willie Eugene Pitts
Cases on the same legal provision: Eleventh Amendment
- Green v. Mansour
- Welch v. Texas Department of Highways and Public TransportationAltered precedent
- Atascadero State Hospital v. Scanlon
- Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. HaldermanAltered precedent
- Arizona v. California
- Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp. v. Feeney
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- California State Board of Equalization v. Chemehuevi Indian Tribe
- Green v. Mansour
- Vasquez v. Hillery
- Daniels v. WilliamsAltered precedent
- Davidson v. Cannon
- Malley v. Briggs
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