Trimble v. Gordon

430 U.S. 762 · Decided April 26, 1977 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Trimble v. Gordon was decided on April 26, 1977 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Rights of illegitimates” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Full case caption

Trimble et al. v. Gordon et al.

SCDB identifiers: case 1976-091, docket 1976-091-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “Rights of illegitimates”

• Fiallo v. Bell
  430 U.S. 787Decided April 26, 19776–3Lewis F. Powell Jr.
• Mathews v. Lucas
  427 U.S. 495Decided June 29, 19766–3Harry A. Blackmun
• Norton v. Mathews
  427 U.S. 524Decided June 29, 19766–3Harry A. Blackmun
• Lalli v. Lalli
  439 U.S. 259Decided December 11, 19785–4Lewis F. Powell Jr.
• Califano v. Boles
  443 U.S. 282Decided June 27, 19795–4William H. Rehnquist
• United States v. Clark
  445 U.S. 23Decided February 26, 19807–2Thurgood Marshall

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Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)

• Chappelle v. Greater Baton Rouge Airport DistrictLaw held unconstitutional
  431 U.S. 159Decided May 16, 19778–1Per curiam
• Castaneda v. Partida
  430 U.S. 482Decided March 23, 19775–4Harry A. Blackmun
• Connor v. Finch
  431 U.S. 407Decided May 31, 19777–1Potter Stewart
• Nyquist v. MaucletLaw held unconstitutional
  432 U.S. 1Decided June 13, 19775–4Harry A. Blackmun
• Town of Lockport v. Citizens for Community Action at the Local Level, Inc.
  430 U.S. 259Decided March 7, 19779–0Potter Stewart
• Maher v. Roe
  432 U.S. 464Decided June 20, 19776–3Lewis F. Powell Jr.

Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)

• Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Bagamasbad
  429 U.S. 24Decided November 1, 19769–0Per curiam
• General Electric Co. v. Gilbert
  429 U.S. 125Decided December 7, 19766–3William H. Rehnquist
• Mathews v. de Castro
  429 U.S. 181Decided December 13, 19769–0Potter Stewart
• Craig v. BorenAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
  429 U.S. 190Decided December 20, 19767–2William J. Brennan Jr.
• International Union of Electrical v. Robbins & Myers, Inc.
  429 U.S. 229Decided December 20, 19769–0William H. Rehnquist
• Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp.
  429 U.S. 252Decided January 11, 19775–3Lewis F. Powell Jr.

See all

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