McDonald v. Board of Election Commissioners of Chicago
| McDonald v. Board of Election Commissioners of Chicago | |
|---|---|
| Argued November 19, 1968 Decided April 28, 1969 | |
| Full case name | Sam L. McDONALD and Andrew Byrd on behalf of themselves and all other persons similarly situated, v. BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS OF CHICAGO, Sidney T. Holzman, Chairman, Marie H. Suthers, Commissioner, and Francis P. Canary, Commissioner |
| Docket no. | 68 |
| Citations | 394 U.S. 802 (more) 89 S.Ct. 1404, 22 L.Ed.2d 739 |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Summary judgment granted for defendants, 277 F.Supp. 14 (1967) |
| Holding | |
| An Illinois law that granted absentee ballots to various eligible voters but not to inmates awaiting trial did not violate the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. | |
| Court membership | |
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| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Warren, joined by Black, Douglas, Brennan, White, Fortas, Marshall |
| Concurrence | Harlan and Stewart |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S Const. amend. XIV | |
McDonald v. Board of Election Commissioners of Chicago, 394 U.S. 802 (1969), was a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that an Illinois law that denied absentee ballots to inmates awaiting trial did not violate their constitutional rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court declined to apply strict scrutiny, and found that the distinctions drawn by the law were rational. The Court particularly noted that the inmates had not shown they could not vote, but rather only that they could not receive absentee ballots.