View source for Oregon v. Mitchell

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}

{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}

{{Infobox SCOTUS case
|Litigants=Oregon v. Mitchell
|ArgueDate=October 20
|ArgueYear=1970
|DecideDate=December 21
|DecideYear=1970
|FullName=Oregon v. Mitchell, Attorney General
|USVol=400
|USPage=112
|ParallelCitations=91 S. Ct. 260; 27 [[L. Ed. 2d]] 272; 1970 [[U.S. LEXIS]] 1
|Prior=
|Subsequent=
|Holding=1. Lowering the [[voting age]] to 18 years in federal elections under Section 302 of the [[Amendments to the Voting Rights Act of 1965|Voting Rights Act (VRA) Amendments of 1970]] is constitutional under [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution#Section 5: Power of enforcement|Section 5 of the 14th Amendment]] to [[Congressional power of enforcement|enforce]] the [[Equal Protection Clause]];<br>2. Lowering the voting age to 18 years under Section 302 of the 1970 VRA Amendments in state and local elections is unconstitutional under the [[Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|10th Amendment]];<br>3. Section 201 of the 1970 VRA Amendments banning the use of [[literacy test]]s as a voter qualification in federal, state, and local elections is constitutional under [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Section 2 of the 15th Amendment]];<br>4. Section 202 of the 1970 VRA Amendments creating a minimum residency duration requirement for [[Voter registration in the United States|voter registration]] and a uniform rule for [[Absentee ballot|absentee voting]] in [[United States presidential election|presidential elections]] is constitutional under Section 5 of the 14th Amendment to enforce the [[Privileges or Immunities Clause]].
|Plurality=Part 1: Brennan, White, and Marshall;<br>Part 2: Stewart, Burger, and Blackmun;<br>Part 3: Brennan, White, and Marshall; Stewart, Burger, and Blackmun;<br>Part 4: Brennan, White, and Marshall
|Concurrence=Part 1: Douglas; Black (in judgment);<br>Part 2: Black; Harlan;<br>Part 3: Harlan; Douglas (in judgment); Black (in judgment);<br>Part 4: Douglas; Stewart, Burger, and Blackmun (in judgment); Black (in judgment)
|Dissent=Part 1: Stewart, Burger, and Blackmun; Harlan;<br>Part 2: Brennan, White, and Marshall; Douglas;<br>Part 4: Harlan
|Superseded=[[Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution|26th Amendment]] (Parts 1 and 2)
|LawsApplied=[[Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|10th Amendment]], [[Congressional power of enforcement|Enforcement Clauses of the 14th and 15th Amendments]]
}}
'''''Oregon v. Mitchell''''', {{ussc|400|112|1970|el=yes}}, was a [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] case in which the states of [[Oregon]], [[Texas]], [[Arizona]], and [[Idaho]] challenged the constitutionality of Sections 201, 202, and 302 of the [[Amendments to the Voting Rights Act of 1965|Voting Rights Act (VRA) Amendments of 1970]] passed by the [[91st United States Congress]], and where [[John N. Mitchell|John Mitchell]] was the respondent in his role as [[United States Attorney General]].<ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell p. 112">{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=112|year=1970}}</ref> The Supreme Court ruled that the [[literacy test]] ban under Section 201, the minimum residency duration requirement for [[Voter registration in the United States|voter registration]] and the uniform rule for [[Absentee ballot|absentee voting]] in [[United States presidential election|presidential elections]] under Section 202, and that Congress lowering the [[voting age]] in federal elections from 21 to 18 under Section 302 were all constitutional, but that Congress lowering the voting age in state and local elections from 21 to 18 under Section 302 was unconstitutional.<ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell p. 112" />

==Holdings==

===Section 201===

Despite the Court upholding Section 201 unanimously, [[Potter Stewart]], [[Warren E. Burger|Warren Burger]], and [[Harry Blackmun]] in a single opinion,<ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=282–284|year=1970}}</ref> [[William J. Brennan Jr.|William J. Brennan]], [[Byron White]], and [[Thurgood Marshall]] in a separate single opinion,<ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=231–236|year=1970}}</ref> and [[John Marshall Harlan II]] in a separate opinion argued the literacy test ban was constitutional under [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Section 2 of the 15th Amendment]].<ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=216–217|year=1970}}</ref> In separate opinions, [[William O. Douglas]] argued that it was constitutional under [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution#Section 5: Power of enforcement|Section 5 of the 14th Amendment]] to [[Congressional power of enforcement|enforce]] the [[Equal Protection Clause]],<ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=144–147|year=1970}}</ref> while [[Hugo Black]] argued that it was constitutional under both Section 2 of the 15th Amendment and Section 5 of the 14th Amendment to enforce the Equal Protection Clause.<ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell p. 118">{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=118|year=1970}}</ref><ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=131–134|year=1970}}</ref>

===Section 202===

The Court upheld Section 202 by an 8–1 ruling with Douglas and Brennan, White, and Marshall arguing the minimum residency duration requirement for voter registration and the uniform rule for absentee voting in presidential elections was constitutional under Section 5 of the 14th Amendment to enforce the [[Privileges or Immunities Clause]].<ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=147–150|year=1970}}</ref><ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=236–239|year=1970}}</ref> Stewart, Burger, and Blackmun also argued Section 202 was constitutional under Section 5 of the 14th Amendment to enforce the Privileges or Immunities Clause but more broadly under the [[Necessary and Proper Clause]] of [[Article One of the United States Constitution#Section 8: Powers of Congress|Article I, Section VIII]] to protect constitutional provisions related to [[Freedom of movement under United States law|freedom of movement]] in general and under the [[Privileges and Immunities Clause]] of [[Article Four of the United States Constitution#Section 2: Rights of state citizens; rights of extradition|Article IV, Section II]] specifically.<ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=285–292|year=1970}}</ref> Black argued Section 202 was constitutional under the [[Article One of the United States Constitution#Clause 1: Time, place, and manner of holding elections|Congressional Elections Clause of Article I, Section IV]] and the Necessary and Proper Clause.<ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell p. 118" /><ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=134|year=1970}}</ref> Harlan dissented and argued Section 202 was unconstitutional under the [[Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|10th Amendment]] by the [[Enumerated powers (United States)|delegation of powers]] under the [[Article Two of the United States Constitution#Clause 2: Method of choosing electors|Presidential Electors Clause]] and the [[Article Two of the United States Constitution#Clause 4: Election day|Electoral College Meetings Clause of Article II, Section I]].<ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell pp. 154–213">{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=154–213|year=1970}}</ref>

===Section 302===

The Court upheld Section 302 lowering the voting age in federal elections by a 5–4 ruling with Douglas and Brennan, White, and Marshall arguing it was constitutional under Section 5 of the 14th Amendment to enforce the Equal Protection Clause,<ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell pp. 135–144">{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=135–144|year=1970}}</ref><ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell pp. 239–281">{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=239–281|year=1970}}</ref> and Black arguing it was constitutional under the Congressional Elections Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause.<ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=117|year=1970}}</ref><ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=119–124|year=1970}}</ref> Harlan and Stewart, Burger, and Blackmun dissented and argued that Section 302 as applied to federal elections was unconstitutional under the 10th Amendment by the delegation of powers under the [[Article One of the United States Constitution#Clause 1: Composition and election of Members|House Electors Qualifications Clause of Article I, Section II]], the Congressional Elections Clause, the [[Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|17th Amendment]], and the Presidential Electors Clause and the Electoral College Meetings Clause of Article II, Section I.<ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell pp. 154–213" /><ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell pp. 293–296">{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=293–296|year=1970}}</ref> In a separate 5–4 ruling where Black joined Harlan and Stewart, Burger, and Blackmun to form the majority, the Court held that Section 302 lowering the voting age in state and local elections was unconstitutional under the 10th Amendment by the delegation of powers under the House Electors Qualifications Clause and the 17th Amendment,<ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell p. 118" /><ref>{{ussc|name=Oregon v. Mitchell|volume=400|page=112|pin=124–131|year=1970}}</ref><ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell pp. 154–213" /><ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell pp. 293–296" /> while Douglas and Brennan, White, and Marshall argued it was also constitutional under Section 5 of the 14th Amendment to enforce the Equal Protection Clause.<ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell pp. 135–144" /><ref name="Oregon v. Mitchell pp. 239–281" />

==26th Amendment==

Less than seven months after ''Oregon v. Mitchell'' was decided, the Court's Section 302 holdings with respect to minimum age requirements as voter qualifications were superseded by the ratification of the [[Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution|26th Amendment]].<ref name=CUSA>{{cite web|title=The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation, Centennial Edition, Interim Edition: Analysis of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 26, 2013|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CONAN-2013/pdf/GPO-CONAN-2013.pdf|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|access-date=April 13, 2014|location=Washington, DC|pages=44; 2273|year=2013}}</ref>

==Subsequent cases==

In ''[[Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.]]'' (2013), the Court concluded that the Section 302 holding that permitted Congress to preempt state voter qualifications for minimum voting age in federal elections under the Equal Protection Clause was of minimal precedential value to that decision.<ref>{{ussc|name=Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Ariz., Inc.|volume=570|page=1|pin=13–15|year=2013}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 400]]
*''[[United States v. Butler]]'', {{ussc|297|1|1936}}
*''[[Carter v. Carter Coal Co.]]'', {{ussc|298|238|1936}}
*''[[Marks v. United States]]'', {{ussc|430|188|1977}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{ cite journal | last = Cohen | first = William | year = 1975 | title = Congressional Power to Interpret Due Process and Equal Protection | journal = Stanford Law Review | volume = 27 | issue = 3 | pages = 603&ndash;620 | doi = 10.2307/1228329 | jstor = 1228329| publisher = Stanford Law Review, Vol. 27, No. 3 }}
*{{ cite journal | last = Greene | first = Richard S. | year = 1972 | title = Congressional Power over the Elective Franchise: The Unconstitutional Phases of ''Oregon v. Mitchell'' | journal = Boston University Law Review | volume = 52 | pages = 505 | issn = 0006-8047 }}

==External links==
*{{wikisource-inline|Oregon v. Mitchell|''Oregon v. Mitchell''}}
* {{caselaw source
| case = ''Oregon v. Mitchell'', {{ussc|400|112|1970|el=no}}
| justia =https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/400/112/
| loc =https://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep400/usrep400112/usrep400112.pdf
| oyez =https://www.oyez.org/cases/1970/43-orig
}}

{{US10thAmendment|state=collapsed}}
{{US14thAmendment}}

[[Category:United States Supreme Court cases]]
[[Category:United States Supreme Court original jurisdiction cases]]
[[Category:1970 in United States case law]]
[[Category:1970 in Oregon]]
[[Category:Abrogated United States Supreme Court decisions]]
[[Category:United States elections case law]]
[[Category:United States Supreme Court cases of the Burger Court]]