Turner v. City of Memphis
369 U.S. 350 · Decided March 16, 1962 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Turner v. City of Memphis was decided on March 16, 1962 unanimously (8–0). 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 “Desegregation (general)” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 369 U.S. 350 · 82 S. Ct. 805 · 7 L. Ed. 2d 762 · 1962 U.S. LEXIS 1568
- Docket number
- 84
- Decided
- March 16, 1962
- Argued
- February 27, 1962
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Desegregation (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Abstention doctrine
- Type of law
- Other
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Did not participate: Charles E. Whittaker.
Full case caption
Turner v. City of Memphis et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1961-052, docket 1961-052-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Desegregation (general)”
- Bailey v. PattersonLaw held unconstitutional
- Anderson v. Alabama.
- Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority
- Johnson v. Virginia
- Watson v. City of Memphis
- Wolfe v. North Carolina
Cases on the same legal provision: Abstention doctrine
- Best v. Humboldt Placer Mining Co.
- Metlakatla Indian Community v. Egan
- England v. Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners
- Hostetter v. Idlewild Bon Voyage Liquor Corp.Law held unconstitutional
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Inc. v. Bennett
- Harrison v. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Hoyt v. Florida
- Garner v. Louisiana
- Seymour v. Superintendent of Washington State Penitentiary
- Bailey v. PattersonLaw held unconstitutional
- Metlakatla Indian Community v. Egan
- Baker v. CarrAltered precedent
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