Swain v. Alabama
380 U.S. 202 · Decided March 8, 1965 · 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
Swain v. Alabama was decided on March 8, 1965 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White 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
- 380 U.S. 202 · 85 S. Ct. 824 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 759 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 1668
- Docket number
- 64
- Decided
- March 8, 1965
- Argued
- December 8, 1964
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- 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)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Swain v. Alabama
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-057, docket 1964-057-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Desegregation (general)”
- Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States
- Katzenbach v. McClung
- McLaughlin v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Coleman v. Alabama
- Evans v. Newton
- Arnold v. North Carolina
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Carrington v. RashLaw held unconstitutional
- Fortson v. Dorsey
- Griffin v. Maryland
- Robinson v. Florida
- Reynolds v. SimsLaw held unconstitutional
- Wmca, Inc. v. LomenzoLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Scranton v. Drew
- McLaughlin v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States
- Katzenbach v. McClung
- Hamm v. City of Rock Hill
- Parsons v. Buckley
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