Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham
373 U.S. 262 · Decided May 20, 1963 · 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
Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham was decided on May 20, 1963 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sit-in demonstrations against racial discrimination” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 373 U.S. 262 · 83 S. Ct. 1130 · 10 L. Ed. 2d 335 · 1963 U.S. LEXIS 1550
- Docket number
- 67
- Decided
- May 20, 1963
- Argued
- November 6, 1962
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- 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 | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Shuttlesworth et al. v. City of Birmingham
SCDB identifiers: case 1962-106, docket 1962-106-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sit-in demonstrations against racial discrimination”
- Peterson v. City of GreenvilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Lombard v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Wright v. GeorgiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Gober v. City of BirminghamLaw held unconstitutional
- Avent v. North Carolina.
- Randolph v. Virginia
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Watson v. City of Memphis
- Goss v. Board of Education of Knoxville
- Johnson v. Virginia
- Douglas v. California
- Gray v. SandersAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Lane v. BrownLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Kennedy v. Mendoza-MartinezLaw held unconstitutional
- Schneider v. Rusk
- Douglas v. California
- Gray v. SandersAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Lane v. BrownLaw held unconstitutional
- Draper v. Washington
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