Taylor v. McKeithen
407 U.S. 191 · Decided June 12, 1972 · 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
Taylor v. McKeithen was decided on June 12, 1972 by a vote of 6–3. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 407 U.S. 191 · 92 S. Ct. 1980 · 32 L. Ed. 2d 648 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 45
- Docket number
- 71-784
- Decided
- June 12, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Taylor et Al v. McKeithen, Governor of Louisiana, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-140, docket 1971-140-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)”
- Sixty-Seventh Minnesota State Senate v. Beens
- Connor v. Williams
- Mahan v. HowellLaw held unconstitutional
- Salyer Land Co. v. Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District
- Associated Enterprises, Inc. v. Toltec Watershed Improvement District
- Ely v. Klahr
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Engelman v. Amos
- Doherty v. United States
- Schreiner v. United States
- Reed v. ReedLaw held unconstitutional
- Richardson v. Belcher
- Mayer v. City of Chicago
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