Thornburg v. Gingles
478 U.S. 30 · Decided June 30, 1986 · 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
Thornburg v. Gingles was decided on June 30, 1986 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 478 U.S. 30 · 106 S. Ct. 2752 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 25 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 121
- Docket number
- 83-1968
- Decided
- June 30, 1986
- Argued
- December 4, 1985
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Thornburg, Attorney General of North Carolina, et al. v. Gingles et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1985-142, docket 1985-142-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments”
- City of Pleasant Grove v. United States
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Hampton County Election Commission
- McCain v. Lybrand
- City of Lockhart v. United States
- City of Port Arthur v. United States
- Hathorn v. Lovorn
Cases on the same legal provision: Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Joan Growe v. James Emison
- George Voinovich v. Barney Quilter
- East Carroll Parish School Board v. Marshall
- Rick Perry v. Shannon Perez
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- California State Board of Equalization v. Chemehuevi Indian Tribe
- Green v. Mansour
- Vasquez v. Hillery
- Daniels v. WilliamsAltered precedent
- Davidson v. Cannon
- Malley v. Briggs
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