Heart Of Atlanta Motel V. United States Background

This important case represented an immediate challenge to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the comprehensive landmark piece of civil rights legislation which represented the first comprehensive act by Congress on civil rights and race relations since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. For much of the 100 years preceding 1964, race relations in the United States had been dominated by segregation, a system of racial separation which, while in name providing for " separate but equal" treatment of both white and black Americans, in truth perpetuated inferior accommodation, services, and treatment for black Americans.

While during the mid-twentieth century, partly as a result of cases such as Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45 ( 1932); Smith v. Allwright, 321 U.S. 649 ( 1944); Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U.S. 1 ( 1948); Sweatt v. Painter, 339 U.S. 629 ( 1950); McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, 339 U.S. 637 ( 1950); NAACP v. AlabamaNAACP v. Alabama ex rel. Patterson 357 U. 449 ( 1958) was an important civil rights case brought before the United States Supreme Court. Background In 1956, the Attorney General of Alabama brought an equity suit to the State Circuit Court of Montgomery, A, 357 U.S. 449 ( 1958Events January January 1 Treaty of Rome founding the EU is implemented January 4 Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from its orbit (launched on October 4 1957) January 8 14 year old Bobby Fischer wins the United States Chess Championship January 18 Armed Lumbee Nat); Boynton v. VirginiaBoynton v. Virginia 364 U. 454 ( 1960) was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States. The case overturned a judgment convicting an African American law student for trespassing by being in a restaurant in a bus terminal which was "whites only., 364 U.S. 454 ( 1960Events January-February January 1 Independence of Cameroon January 9 Aswan High Dam construction begins in Egypt January 11 Chad declares its independence. January 14 Ralph Chubb, the gay poet and printer, dies at Fair Oak Cottage in Hampshire. January 23) and probably the most famous; Brown v. Board of EducationHayes, Thurgood Marshall, and James Nabrit, congratulating each other, following Supreme Court decision declaring segregation unconstitutional Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka 347 U. 483 ( 1954) was a landmark case of the United States Supreme Court of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 ( 1954Events January events January 14 The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator forming the American Motors Corporation January 14 Marilyn Monroe weds Joe DiMaggio. January 15 Mau Mau leader Waruhiu Itote is captured in Kenya January 20 The Nati), the tide against segregation and white supremacy began to turn, black Americans' fight for equal civil rightsCivil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. Examples include the right to vote and anti- discrimination laws. Civil rights movements usually want equal protection of the laws for minorities, was far from over. In particular, the southern United States, where the Heart of Atlanta Motel was located, remained segregated even into the late 1960s.

2 The case

Passed on July 2, 1964, the Civil Rights Act banned racial discrimination in public places, particularly in public accommodations, largely based on Congress' control of interstate commerce.

The Heart of Atlanta motel was a large, 216-room motel in Atlanta, Georgia, which refused to rent rooms to black patrons, in direct violation of the terms of the act. The owner of the motel filed suit in federal court, arguing that the requirements of the act exceeded the authority granted to Congress over interstate commerce. In addition, the owner argued that the act violated his Fifth Amendment rights to choose customers and operate his business as he wished and resulted in unjust deprivation of his property without due process of law and just compensation. Finally, the owner argued that Congress had placed him in a position of involuntary servitude by forcing him to rent available rooms to blacks, thereby violating his Thirteenth Amendment rights.

In response, the United States countered that the restrictions in adequate accommodation for black Americans severely interfered with interstate travel, and that Congress, under the United States Constitution's Commerce clause, was certainly within its power to address such matters. Moreover, they argued, the Fifth Amendment does not forbid reasonable regulation of interstate commerce and such incidental damage did not constitute the "taking" of property without just compensation or due process of law. Third, they argued that the Thirteenth Amendment applied primarily to slavery and the removal of widespread disabilities associated with it; in such kind, the Amendment certainly would not place issues of racial discrimination in public accommodations beyond the reach of Federal and state law.

The District court ruled in favor of the United States and issued a permanent injunction requiring the Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. to refrain from using racial discrimination in terms of the goods or services that it offered to guests or the general public upon its premises.

3 The decision

Announced on December 14, 1964, the opinion of the court was delivered by Justice Tom C. Clark, with concurring opinions by Justice Arthur Goldberg, Justice Hugo Black, and Justice William O. Douglas.

The Court held that Congress acted well within its jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce clause in passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, thereby upholding the act's Title II in question. While it might have been possible for Congress to pursue other methods for abolishing racial discrimination, the way in which Congress did so, according to the court, was perfectly valid. It found no merit in the arguments pursuant to the Thirteenth Amendment, finding it hard to conceive that such an Amendment might possibly be applicable in restraining civil rights legislation. Having observed that 75% of the Heart of Atlanta Motel's clientele came from out of state, and that it was strategically located near both Interstates 75 and 85 as well as two major U.S. Highways, the Court found that the business clearly affected interstate commerce. As such, it therefore upheld the permanent injunction issued by the District Court, and required the Heart of Atlanta Motel to receive business from clientele of all races.

4 Further reading

List of United States Supreme Court cases

U.S. civil rights history U.S. Supreme Court cases Commerce Clause cases

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Home > Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States

1 Background

2 The case

3 The decision

4 Further reading

Topics: Heart Of Atlanta Motel V. United States, Background...