Pierson v. Ray
386 U.S. 547 · Decided April 11, 1967 · 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
Pierson v. Ray was decided on April 11, 1967 by a vote of 8–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part, reversed or vacated it in part, and remanded the case. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Liability under civil rights acts” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 386 U.S. 547 · 87 S. Ct. 1213 · 18 L. Ed. 2d 288 · 1967 U.S. LEXIS 2791
- Docket number
- 79
- Decided
- April 11, 1967
- Argued
- January 11, 1967
- Court era
- Warren 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
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Liability under civil rights acts
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Abe Fortas | Majority |
Full case caption
Pierson et al. v. Ray et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1966-077, docket 1966-077-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Liability under civil rights acts”
- Damico v. California
- United States v. Guest
- United States v. Price
- Houghton v. Shafer
- Griffin v. BreckenridgeAltered precedent
- District of Columbia v. Carter
Cases on the same legal provision: 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Reconstruction Civil Rights Acts)
- Adickes v. S. H. Kress & Co.
- McNeese v. Board of Education for Community Unit School District 187
- Preiser v. Rodriguez
- City of Kenosha v. Bruno
- Rizzo v. Goode
- Examining Board of Engineers v. Flores de OteroLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Long v. District Court of Iowa in and for Lee County
- Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Errico
- Fortson v. Morris
- Woodby v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
- Swann v. AdamsLaw held unconstitutional
- Whitus v. Georgia
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