United States v. Board of Commissioners of Sheffield
435 U.S. 110 · Decided March 6, 1978 · 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
United States v. Board of Commissioners of Sheffield was decided on March 6, 1978 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. 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
- 435 U.S. 110 · 98 S. Ct. 965 · 55 L. Ed. 2d 148 · 1978 U.S. LEXIS 65
- Docket number
- 76-1662
- Decided
- March 6, 1978
- Argued
- October 11, 1977
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- 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 Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Board of Commissioners of Sheffield, Alabama, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1977-045, docket 1977-045-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting Rights Act of 1965 and amendments”
- Berry v. Doles
- Briscoe v. Bell
- Morris v. Gressette
- Dougherty County v. White
- United States v. Board of Supervisors of Warren County
- Beer v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Voting Rights Act of 1965
- East Carroll Parish School Board v. Marshall
- Joan Growe v. James Emison
- George Voinovich v. Barney Quilter
- Rick Perry v. Shannon Perez
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Califano v. Jobst
- Idaho Department of Employment v. Smith
- Nashville Gas Co. v. Satty
- Richmond Unified School District v. Berg
- United Air Lines, Inc. v. McMann
- Quilloin v. Walcott et Vir
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