No. 96-670October Term 1996Decided Mar 17, 1997
Foster v. Love
Louisiana's election system allowed congressional candidates to be elected in an October open primary if they received a majority of the vote.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Mar 17, 1997
- What it's about
Louisiana's election system allowed congressional candidates to be elected in an October open primary if they received a majority of the vote. The Supreme Court ruled that this system violates federal law because it effectively holds a federal election before the uniform national election day in November.
Question presented
Does Louisiana's open primary violate the federal statutes that establish a uniform federal election day?
- Case path
Decision released Mar 17, 1997
- Area
Elections
Timing
Decided March 17, 1997
The Court released its decision on March 17, 1997 without hearing oral argument.
Documents
Opinions
Souter, Rehnquist, Stevens, O'Connor, Ginsburg, Breyer
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology