United States v. Raines
362 U.S. 17 · Decided February 29, 1960 · 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. Raines was decided on February 29, 1960 unanimously (9–0). 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” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 362 U.S. 17 · 80 S. Ct. 519 · 4 L. Ed. 2d 524 · 1960 U.S. LEXIS 2012
- Docket number
- 64
- Decided
- February 29, 1960
- Argued
- January 12, 1960
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Voting
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- 28 U.S.C. § 1252
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Raines et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1959-041, docket 1959-041-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Voting”
- United States v. Thomas
- United States v. Alabama
- Gomillion v. LightfootLaw held unconstitutional
- Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections
- Anderson v. MartinLaw held unconstitutional
- Carrington v. RashLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: 28 U.S.C. § 1252
- United States v. Christian Echoes National Ministry, Inc.
- Donovan v. Richland County Association for Retarded Citizens
- Heckler v. Edwards
- Walters v. National Association of Radiation Survivors
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Kinsella v. United States ex Rel. SingletonLaw held unconstitutional
- Grisham v. HaganLaw held unconstitutional
- McElroy v. United States ex Rel. GuagliardoLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Thomas
- Willis v. United States
- Mackey v. Mendoza-Martinez
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