Virginia Minor women’s suffrage case
E181546
The Virginia Minor women’s suffrage case was an 1870s U.S. Supreme Court legal challenge in which suffragist Virginia Minor argued that the 14th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote, a claim the Court ultimately rejected.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Virginia Minor women’s suffrage case canonical | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States Supreme Court case
ⓘ
voting rights case ⓘ women’s suffrage case ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Minor v. Happersett
ⓘ
surface form:
Minor v. Happersett women’s suffrage case
|
| argument |
that citizenship includes the privilege of voting
ⓘ
that women are citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
National Woman Suffrage Association
ⓘ
Susan B. Anthony’s New Departure strategy ⓘ |
| chronologicallyBefore | Nineteenth Amendment ratification in 1920 ⓘ |
| country | United States of America ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 1875 ⓘ |
| decisionType | unanimous decision ⓘ |
| defendant | Reese Happersett ⓘ |
| endTime | 1875 ⓘ |
| hasCourt | Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ |
| hasLegalCitation | Minor v. Happersett ⓘ |
| hasLowerCourt |
Missouri judiciary
ⓘ
surface form:
Missouri state courts
|
| hasMainParty |
Husband of Virginia Minor
ⓘ
Reese Happersett ⓘ Virginia Minor ⓘ |
| historicalContext | Reconstruction era ⓘ |
| holding |
states may restrict suffrage to men
ⓘ
the Constitution does not confer the right of suffrage upon anyone ⓘ the Fourteenth Amendment does not guarantee women the right to vote ⓘ |
| impact |
highlighted need for a separate women’s suffrage amendment
ⓘ
slowed constitutional arguments for women’s suffrage based on the Fourteenth Amendment ⓘ |
| involvesRight |
citizenship rights
ⓘ
right to vote ⓘ |
| legalCitation | 88 U.S. (21 Wall.) 162 ⓘ |
| legalDoctrine | narrow interpretation of the Privileges or Immunities Clause ⓘ |
| legalIssue |
interpretation of the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
ⓘ
status of women as citizens and voters ⓘ whether the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees women the right to vote ⓘ |
| location | Missouri ⓘ |
| movementContext | U.S. women’s suffrage movement ⓘ |
| opinionBy |
Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite
ⓘ
surface form:
Chief Justice Morrison Waite
|
| outcome |
claim rejected
ⓘ
judgment for defendant ⓘ |
| plaintiff | Virginia Minor ⓘ |
| plaintiffCitizenshipStatus | U.S. citizen ⓘ |
| plaintiffGender | female ⓘ |
| plaintiffRole | suffragist ⓘ |
| precedentFor | state power to define voter qualifications ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Fourteenth Amendment
ⓘ
surface form:
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ⓘ Privileges and Immunities Clause ⓘ
surface form:
Privileges or Immunities Clause
|
| startTime | 1872 ⓘ |
| subjectOf | scholarship on constitutional development and women’s rights ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Old Courthouse (St. Louis)