Schware v. Board of Bar Examiners of New Mexico
353 U.S. 232 · Decided May 6, 1957 · 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
Schware v. Board of Bar Examiners of New Mexico was decided on May 6, 1957 unanimously (8–0). 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 “Bar admission, disbarment, and discipline” in the Attorneys area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 353 U.S. 232 · 77 S. Ct. 752 · 1 L. Ed. 2d 796 · 1957 U.S. LEXIS 980
- Docket number
- 92
- Decided
- May 6, 1957
- Argued
- January 14, 1957
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Bar admission, disbarment, and discipline
- Issue area
- Attorneys
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- 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 Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority |
Did not participate: Charles E. Whittaker.
Full case caption
Schware v. Board of Bar Examiners of New Mexico
SCDB identifiers: case 1956-077, docket 1956-077-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Bar admission, disbarment, and discipline”
- Konigsberg v. State Bar of California
- Theard v. United States
- In re Levy.
- Sperry v. Florida ex Rel. Florida Bar
- Kingsland v. Dorsey
- In re Ruffalo
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Chessman v. Teets
- Sweezy v. New Hampshire
- Fikes v. Alabama
- Nelson v. City of New York
- Walker v. City of HutchinsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Alcorta v. Texas
Same Term, same area (Attorneys)
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