Wright v. Council of the City of Emporia
407 U.S. 451 · Decided June 22, 1972 · 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
Wright v. Council of the City of Emporia was decided on June 22, 1972 by a vote of 5–4. 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.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 407 U.S. 451 · 92 S. Ct. 2196 · 33 L. Ed. 2d 51 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 31
- Docket number
- 70-188
- Decided
- June 22, 1972
- Argued
- March 1, 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- William O. Douglas
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- School desegregation
- 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 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent |
Full case caption
Wright et al. v. Council of the City of Emporia et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-153, docket 1971-153-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “School desegregation”
- United States v. Scotland Neck City Board of EducationLaw held unconstitutional
- 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