The Civil Rights Cases (1883)

E90815

The Civil Rights Cases (1883) were a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down key provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1875, severely limiting federal power to prohibit racial discrimination by private individuals and businesses.

All labels observed (9)

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States Supreme Court decision
civil rights case
constitutional law case
landmark case
alsoKnownAs The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
surface form: Civil Rights Cases of 1883
citation 109 U.S. 3
27 L. Ed. 835
3 S. Ct. 18
country United States of America
surface form: United States
court Supreme Court of the United States
decisionDate 1883-10-15
dissentingOpinionBy John Marshall Harlan
followedBy Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
surface form: Plessy v. Ferguson
fullName The Civil Rights Cases (1883) self-link
surface form: The Civil Rights Cases
hasPart Robinson v. Memphis & Charleston Railroad Company
United States v. Nichols
United States v. Ryan
United States v. Singleton
United States v. Stanley
held Congress lacked authority under the Fourteenth Amendment to regulate private acts of racial discrimination
key provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 were unconstitutional
the Fourteenth Amendment applies only to state action, not purely private conduct
the Thirteenth Amendment did not authorize the challenged provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1875
historicalPeriod Reconstruction era
impact facilitated the rise of Jim Crow segregation laws
weakened Reconstruction-era civil rights protections
introducedDoctrine narrow interpretation of the state action requirement
joinedByInMajority Horace Gray
Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite
surface form: Morrison R. Waite

Samuel F. Miller
Stanley Matthews
Stephen J. Field
William B. Woods
jurisdiction federal jurisdiction of the United States
language English
legalSubject Civil Rights Act of 1875
Fourteenth Amendment
surface form: Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Thirteenth Amendment
surface form: Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

state action doctrine
limited federal power to prohibit racial discrimination by private businesses
federal power to prohibit racial discrimination by private individuals
majorityOpinionBy Joseph P. Bradley
overturned federal prohibitions on racial discrimination in public accommodations enacted in the Civil Rights Act of 1875
precededBy Civil Rights Act of 1875
topic federalism in the United States
public accommodations
racial discrimination
vote 8–1
yearDecided 1883

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Referenced by (19)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Enforcement Clause usedInCase The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite presidedOver The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
subject surface form: Morrison R. Waite
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases (1883)
The Civil Rights Cases (1883) fullName The Civil Rights Cases (1883) self-link
subject surface form: The Civil Rights Cases
this entity surface form: The Civil Rights Cases
The Civil Rights Cases (1883) alsoKnownAs The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
subject surface form: The Civil Rights Cases
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases of 1883
United States v. Cruikshank followedBy The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases
United States v. Stanley partOf The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases
United States v. Stanley relatedCase The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases
United States v. Ryan partOf The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases
United States v. Ryan decidedWith The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases
United States v. Nichols partOf The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases
United States v. Nichols holding The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was unconstitutional insofar as it attempted to prohibit private racial discrimination in public accommodations
United States v. Nichols relatedCase The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: The Civil Rights Cases
United States v. Singleton partOf The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases
United States v. Singleton isIncludedIn The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: 1883 Civil Rights Cases decisions
United States v. Singleton isRelatedTo The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases (109 U.S. 3, 1883)
Robinson v. Memphis & Charleston Railroad Company partOf The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases
Robinson v. Memphis & Charleston Railroad Company collectiveName The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases
Joseph P. Bradley notableCase The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases (1883)
Monroe v. Pape, 365 U.S. 167 (1961) relatedCase The Civil Rights Cases (1883)
this entity surface form: Civil Rights Cases, 109 U.S. 3 (1883)