Buchanan v. Warley

Buchanan v. Warley

Buchanan v. Warley, 245 U.S. 60 (1917), is a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that addressed racial segregation in residential areas. The Court struck down a Louisville, Kentucky ordinance that prohibited African Americans from buying property in predominantly white neighborhoods, ruling that it violated the Fourteenth Amendment.

Background

In the early 20th century, many American cities enacted racial zoning laws to enforce segregation. These laws were part of a broader system of Jim Crow laws that institutionalized racial discrimination. The Louisville ordinance in question was designed to prevent African Americans from moving into predominantly white neighborhoods, thereby maintaining racial segregation.

The case arose when William Warley, an African American, attempted to purchase a property from Charles H. Buchanan, a white man, in a predominantly white neighborhood. Warley agreed to buy the property but refused to complete the transaction, citing the ordinance that would prevent him from occupying the property. Buchanan sued Warley for breach of contract, arguing that the ordinance was unconstitutional.

Supreme Court Decision

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision delivered by Justice William R. Day, held that the Louisville ordinance violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. The Court reasoned that the ordinance interfered with property rights by restricting the ability of individuals to sell their property to whomever they chose, based solely on race.

Justice Day wrote that the ordinance "amounts to a deprivation of property rights without due process of law and cannot be sustained." The decision emphasized that the right to acquire, enjoy, and dispose of property is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution.

Impact

The decision in Buchanan v. Warley was a significant victory for civil rights, as it struck down a legal mechanism used to enforce racial segregation in housing. It set a precedent that racial zoning laws were unconstitutional, paving the way for future challenges to segregationist policies.

However, the ruling did not end residential segregation. In the following decades, other methods, such as redlining and racially restrictive covenants, were used to maintain segregation. It was not until the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 that more comprehensive measures were taken to combat housing discrimination.

See Also

• Plessy v. Ferguson
• Brown v. Board of Education
• Civil Rights Movement

References

• "Buchanan v. Warley, 245 U.S. 60 (1917)." Supreme Court of the United States.
• "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America" by Richard Rothstein.

External Links

• Oyez: Buchanan v. Warley