United States v. Scotland Neck City Board of Education
407 U.S. 484 · Decided June 22, 1972 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
United States v. Scotland Neck City Board of Education was decided on June 22, 1972 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “School desegregation” 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
- 407 U.S. 484 · 92 S. Ct. 2214 · 33 L. Ed. 2d 75 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 32
- Docket number
- 70-130
- Decided
- June 22, 1972
- Argued
- February 29, 1972
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- School desegregation
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- 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 William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence |
Full case caption
United States v. Scotland Neck City Board of Education et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-154, docket 1971-154-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “School desegregation”
- Wright v. Council of the City of Emporia
- School Board of City of Richmond v. State Board of Education of Virginia
- Keyes v. School District No. 1
- Norwood v. Harrison
- Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
- Davis v. Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Peters v. Kiff
- Police Department of the City of Chicago v. MosleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Grayned v. City of RockfordLaw held unconstitutional
- James v. StrangeLaw held unconstitutional
- Moose Lodge No. 107 v. Irvis
- Jackson v. IndianaLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Engelman v. Amos
- Doherty v. United States
- Schreiner v. United States
- Reed v. ReedLaw held unconstitutional
- Richardson v. Belcher
- Mayer v. City of Chicago
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