Miscegenation Case Analysis

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The Statutes Analysis of two Anti-Miscegenation cases In the Loving v. Virginia, 388 US 1 (1967) is the landmark ruling that nullified anti-miscegenation laws in the United States. In June 1958, Mildred Loving, a black female, married Richard Loving, a white male, in Washington, DC. The couple traveled to Central Point, Virginia and their home was raided by the local police. The police charged the Loving’s of interracial marriage, a felony charge under Section 20-58 of the Virginia Code which prohibited interracial marriages. On January 6, 1959, the couple pled guilty and received a suspended sentence with the agreement that they would Virginia and not return for 25 years. In November 6, 1963, the couple filed a motion in the state court to vacate the original judgment on the grounds it violated the Fourteenth Amendment. …show more content…

A unanimous Supreme Court decision overturned the Lovings convictions on June 12, 1967. The Supreme Court ruled that Virginia’s anti-miscegenation statute violated the Fourteenth Amendment, specifically the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause. Chief Justice Warren’s opinion stated that the Constitution provide citizens “the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.” The Pace v. Alabama, 106 U.S. 583 (1883) was an earlier anti-miscegenation statute case that was ruled constitutional. Tony Pace, an African-American male, and Mary Cox, a white female, were resident of Alabama. In 1881 the couple was arrested because of their sexual relationship violated Alabama Code 4189, an anti-miscegenation statute. They were convicted and the couple was sentenced to two years of prison in 1882. The conviction was appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court under the motion that it violated the Fourteenth Amendment. The Alabama Supreme Court affirmed the

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