Ruth O. Shaw v. James B. Hunt, Jr.
517 U.S. 899 · Decided June 13, 1996 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Ruth O. Shaw v. James B. Hunt, Jr. was decided on June 13, 1996 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)” 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
- 517 U.S. 899 · 116 S. Ct. 1894 · 135 L. Ed. 2d 207 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 3880
- Docket number
- 94-923
- Decided
- June 13, 1996
- Argued
- December 5, 1995
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent |
Full case caption
Ruth O. Shaw, et al. v. James B. Hunt, Jr., Governor of North Carolina, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-067, docket 1995-067-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)”
- George W. Bush v. Al VeraLaw held unconstitutional
- Wisconsin v. City of New York
- Zell Miller v. Davida JohnsonLaw held unconstitutional
- C. Martin Lawyer v. Department of Justice
- James B. Hunt, Jr. v. Martin Cromartie
- Ruth O. Shaw v. Janet Reno
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- United States v. VirginiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Roy Romer v. Richard G. EvansLaw held unconstitutional
- M. L. B. v. S. L. J.Law held unconstitutional
- Dennis C. Vacco v. Timothy E. Quill
- J. E. B. v. Alabama ex Rel. T. B.
- Central State University v. American Association of University Professors
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Robert Attwood v. Harry K. Singletary, Jr.
- Sylvester Jones v. Abc-Tv
- Wisconsin v. City of New York
- Fortis Morse v. Republican Party of Virginia
- James O'Connor v. Consolidated Coin Caterers Corporation
- Liang-Houh Shieh v. Edward Kakita
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