Morgan v. Virginia
Morgan v. Virginia was a landmark Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of racial segregation in interstate bus transportation. In this 1946 decision, the Court ruled by a 7-1 majority that a Virginia law enforcing segregation on buses violated the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, which prohibits states from interfering with interstate commerce. The case was significantly influenced by the advocacy of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which argued that such segregation practices were not only discriminatory but also impeded the flow of commerce between states.
The ruling effectively overturned previous decisions, such as Hall v. DeCuir, and set a critical precedent for challenging segregation laws across the southern states. Although the Court's decision was a significant legal victory for civil rights advocates, the practical enforcement of desegregation in the South remained problematic, as many local officials continued to ignore the ruling. The case showcased the ongoing struggle for civil rights in the United States, highlighting both progress and resistance in the fight against systemic racism. Overall, Morgan v. Virginia played a crucial role in the broader movement towards desegregation and equality in public transportation.
Morgan v. Virginia
Date: June 3, 1946
Citation: 328 U.S. 373
Issues: Desegregation; commerce clause
Significance: The Supreme Court struck down segregation in interstate public transportation because it created an improper burden on interstate commerce.
Justice Stanley F. Reed wrote the opinion for the 7-1 majority, striking down a Virginia law that mandated segregation in bus transportation. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People urged the Supreme Court to use a nineteenth century civil rights law to end the practice of segregation in interstate bus travel as an improper restraint on interstate commerce. Following Hall v. DeCuir (1878), the Court struck down a Virginia law and, by implication, those of all the other southern states. As a practical matter, segregation in bus transportation continued as the southern officials simply ignored the Court unless a ruling was directed specifically at their jurisdictions. Justices Hugo L. Black, Felix Frankfurter, and John Rutledge concurred. Justice Harold H. Burton dissented. Justice Robert H. Jackson, active in the Nuremberg trials, did not participate.
