Style of the case
Heart
of Atlanta Motel v. U.S. (379 U.S. 241, 1964)
Disposition & Court Below
Appellant, the
owner of a large motel in Atlanta, Georgia, which restricts its clientele to
white persons, three-fourths of whom are transient interstate travelers, sued
for declaratory relief and to enjoin enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of
1964, contending that the prohibition of racial discrimination in places of
public accommodation affecting commerce exceeded Congress' powers under the
Commerce Clause and violated other parts of the Constitution.
Facts
The Heart of Atlanta Hotel had 216 rooms available to
transient guests and had historically rented rooms only to white guests. The heart
of Atlanta hotel in Atlanta Georgia refused to accept black Americans and was
charged with violating Title II of the Civil rights act of 1964 forbidding
racial discrimination by places of public accommodations if their operations
affected commerce. The Appellant claims that Congress had exceeded its
authority under the Commerce Clause by regulating a local private business. He
also claimed that the law should be declared invalid under the Due Process
Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Issue
Did Congress exceed its Commerce Clause power by
depriving motels the right to choose their own customers?
Holding
No. Congress did not exceed its Commerce Clause
power in depriving motels the right to choose their own customers since the
discriminatory practices of such motels has a significant effect on interstate
commerce.
Rational
The Supreme Court had long upheld Congress's power
to regulate interstate commerce under the Commerce Clause and regulate local incidents of commerce, and that the Civil
Right Act of 1964 passed constitutional muster. The Court noted that the
applicability of Title II was carefully limited to enterprises having a direct
and substantial relation to the interstate flow of goods and people. The Court
thus concluded that places of public accommodation had no right to select
guests as they saw fit, free from governmental regulation.
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ReplyDeleteGreat job! I really enjoyed your teams blog, but it was a sad reminder of how our country used to be during the times of the Jim Crow laws. It almost seems unreal that this was all happening during the lifetime of some our parents. The Heart of Atlanta vs U.S. brief was very well written and allowed me to have a clear understanding of what happened in the case. Your video was very informative as well and right target. After watching it I felt like I had a refresher on the Civil Rights Movement and I was a bit more informed than I was before. Well done.
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