Wesberry v. Sanders
376 U.S. 1 · Decided February 17, 1964 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Wesberry v. Sanders was decided on February 17, 1964 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)” in the Civil Rights area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 376 U.S. 1 · 84 S. Ct. 526 · 11 L. Ed. 2d 481 · 1964 U.S. LEXIS 1773
- Docket number
- 22
- Decided
- February 17, 1964
- Argued
- November 18, 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
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- Civil Rights
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (composition of the House of Representatives)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
Wesberry et al. v. Sanders, Governor of Georgia, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1963-047, docket 1963-047-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Reapportionment (other than Voting Rights Act plans)”
- Wright v. Rockefeller
- Martin v. BushLaw held unconstitutional
- Reynolds v. SimsLaw held unconstitutional
- Wmca, Inc. v. LomenzoLaw held unconstitutional
- Maryland Committee for Fair Representation v. TawesLaw held unconstitutional
- Davis v. MannLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 2, Paragraph 1 (composition of the House of Representatives)
- U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Ray ThorntonLaw held unconstitutional
- Richard Vieth v. Robert C. Jubelirer
Same Term, same area (Civil Rights)
- Shockey v. Illinois
- Ausbie v. California
- Daegele v. Kansas
- Herrear v. Heinze
- Tabb v. California
- Foti v. Immigration and Naturalization Service
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