Watson v. City of Memphis
373 U.S. 526 · Decided May 27, 1963 · 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
Watson v. City of Memphis was decided on May 27, 1963 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Arthur J. Goldberg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Desegregation (general)” in the Civil Rights area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 373 U.S. 526 · 83 S. Ct. 1314 · 10 L. Ed. 2d 529 · 1963 U.S. LEXIS 2619
- Docket number
- 424
- Decided
- May 27, 1963
- Argued
- April 17, 1963
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Arthur J. Goldberg
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Desegregation (general)
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | 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 | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Watson et al. v. City of Memphis et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1962-125, docket 1962-125-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Desegregation (general)”
- Johnson v. Virginia
- City of New Orleans v. BartheLaw held unconstitutional
- Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham.
- Hamilton v. Alabama
- Arnold v. North Carolina
- Coleman v. Alabama
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Peterson v. City of GreenvilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham
- Lombard v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Wright v. GeorgiaLaw held unconstitutional
- Gober v. City of BirminghamLaw held unconstitutional
- Avent v. North Carolina.
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Kennedy v. Mendoza-MartinezLaw held unconstitutional
- Schneider v. Rusk
- Douglas v. California
- Gray v. SandersAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Lane v. BrownLaw held unconstitutional
- Draper v. Washington
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