Wright v. Georgia
373 U.S. 284 · Decided May 20, 1963 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Wright v. Georgia was decided on May 20, 1963 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Sit-in demonstrations against racial discrimination” 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
- 373 U.S. 284 · 83 S. Ct. 1240 · 10 L. Ed. 2d 349 · 1963 U.S. LEXIS 1552
- Docket number
- 68
- Decided
- May 20, 1963
- Argued
- November 7, 1962
- 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
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- 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 Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| 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 |
Full case caption
Wright et al. v. Georgia
SCDB identifiers: case 1962-108, docket 1962-108-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Sit-in demonstrations against racial discrimination”
- Peterson v. City of GreenvilleLaw held unconstitutional
- Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham
- Lombard v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Gober v. City of BirminghamLaw held unconstitutional
- Avent v. North Carolina.
- Randolph v. Virginia
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection)
- Watson v. City of Memphis
- Goss v. Board of Education of Knoxville
- Johnson v. Virginia
- Douglas v. California
- Gray v. SandersAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Lane v. BrownLaw held unconstitutional
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