O'Brien et al. v. Skinner, Sheriff, et al.
Decided January 16, 1974. Warren Earl Burger delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 72-1058 · 414 U.S. 524 (1974) · Cited 158 times
Holding
The challenged provisions as thus construed, which raise no question of disenfranchisement of persons convicted of criminal conduct and permit incarcerated persons to register and vote by absentee means if confined in a county where they are not residents, violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as they arbitrarily discriminate between categories of qualified voters.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 7–2.
Majority · 4
- Warren Earl Burger · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Byron Raymond White
- Lewis Franklin Powell Jr.
- Potter Stewart
Concurring · 3
- Thurgood Marshall · filed a concurring opinion
- William Joseph Brennan Jr.
- William Orville Douglas
Dissenting · 2
- Harry Andrew Blackmun · filed a dissenting opinion
- William Hubbs Rehnquist
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- McDonald v. Board of Election Comm'rs of Chicago · 394 U.S. 802 (1969)
- Goosby v. Osser · 409 U.S. 512 (1973)
- Rosario v. Rockefeller · 410 U.S. 752 (1973)
- Dunn v. Blumstein · 405 U.S. 330 (1972)
- Williamson v. Lee Optical of Oklahoma, Inc. · 348 U.S. 483 (1955)
- Kramer v. Union Free School District No. 15 · 395 U.S. 621 (1969)
- Cipriano v. City of Houma · 395 U.S. 701 (1969)
- Jefferson v. Hackney · 406 U.S. 535 (1972)
- City of Phoenix v. Kolodziejski · 399 U.S. 204 (1970)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Bell v. Wolfish · 441 U.S. 520 (1979)
- American Party of Texas v. White · 415 U.S. 767 (1974)
- Missouri v. Hunter · 459 U.S. 359 (1983)
- Blackledge v. Perry · 417 U.S. 21 (1974)
- Minnesota v. Clover Leaf Creamery Co. · 449 U.S. 456 (1981)
- Memorial Hospital v. Maricopa County · 415 U.S. 250 (1974)
- Landmark Communications, Inc. v. Virginia · 435 U.S. 829 (1978)
- Webster v. Reproductive Health Services · 492 U.S. 490 (1989)
- Pernell v. Southall Realty · 416 U.S. 363 (1974)
- Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc. · 459 U.S. 116 (1982)
- 324 Liquor Corp. v. Duffy · 479 U.S. 335 (1987)
Official text
Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)
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Warren Earl Burger’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1974). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).