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Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States - Significance, Supreme Court Affirms Congressional Authority To Regulate Private Business Under The Commerce Clause

accommodations civil appellant public

Appellant

Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc.

Appellee

United States

Appellant's Claim

That provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, requiring hotel and motel owners to provide accommodations to African Americans, cannot be enforced against privately owned public accommodations.

Chief Lawyer for Appellant

Moreton Rolleston, Jr.

Chief Lawyer for Appellee

Archibald Cox, U.S. Solicitor General

Justices for the Court

Hugo Lafayette Black, William J. Brennan, Jr., Tom C. Clark (writing for the Court), William O. Douglas, Arthur Goldberg, John Marshall Harlan II, Potter Stewart, Earl Warren, Byron R. White

Justices Dissenting

None

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

14 December 1964

Decision

By a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court upheld the public accommodations provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Related Cases

  • Hall v. DeCuir, 95 U.S. 485 (1878).
  • Civil Rights Cases, 100 U.S. 3 (1887).
  • Hoke v. United States, 227 U.S. 308 (1913).
  • Caminetti v. United States, 242 U.S. 470 (1917).
  • Katzenbach v. McClung, 379 U.S. 294 (1964).
  • Griffin v. Maryland, 378 U.S. 130 (1971).

Further Readings

  • Bell, Derrick A. Race, Racism, and American Law, 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 1980.
  • Wood, L. Ingleby. The Drive to Desegregate Places of Public Accommodation. New York: Garland, 1991.
  • Nieman, Donald G., ed. Black Southerners and the Law, 1865-1900. New York, NY: Garland, 1994.

Additional Topics

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States - Significance

Heart of Atlanta Motel marked a turning point in Congress' efforts to promote civil rights through use of its power to regulate interstate commerce. The Heart of Atlanta Motel was a 216-room establishment located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, close to several interstate highways. The motel advertised in national magazines and on billboards within Georgia. Approximately 75 percent of the motel's re…

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States - Supreme Court Affirms Congressional Authority To Regulate Private Business Under The Commerce Clause

Justice Clark, writing for a unanimous Court, upheld the power of Congress under the Commerce Clause of Article I of the Constitution to regulate both interstate and intrastate businesses, public as well as private, that affect the nation's commerce:[T]he determinative test of the exercise of power by the Congress under the Commerce Clause is simply whether the activity sought to be regulated is "…

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about 4 years ago

who won the case and what was the actual date that it happened?

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about 5 years ago

what is the supreme courts decision on the heart of atlanta motel v. united states?

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over 2 years ago

not sure

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over 3 years ago

skiinniie

the u.s. won the case