Patton v. Mississippi
332 U.S. 463 · Decided December 8, 1947 · 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
Patton v. Mississippi was decided on December 8, 1947 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Desegregation (general)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 332 U.S. 463 · 68 S. Ct. 184 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 76 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 1545
- Docket number
- 122
- Decided
- December 8, 1947
- Argued
- November 21, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- 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
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Patton v. Mississippi
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-009, docket 1947-009-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Desegregation (general)”
- Oyama v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Bob-Lo Excursion Co. v. Michigan
- 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
- Louisiana ex Rel. Francis v. Resweber
- Goesaert v. Cleary
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Delgadillo v. Carmichael
- Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of OklahomaLaw held unconstitutional
- Oyama v. CaliforniaLaw 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