Moose Lodge No. v. Irvis (107 )

Moose Lodge No. 107 v. Irvis helped clarify the term "state action" with reference to federal civil rights protections.

Leroy Irvis, an African American man, appeared on the steps of Moose Lodge No. 107 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Though he was at the private club as the guest of a member, he was refused service on the basis of his race. Irvis sued under federal civil rights law to have the lodge's state-issued liquor license revoked until it stopped discriminating. He won his case in district court, where it was ruled that the lodge's discriminatory practice was "state action" because it was licensed by the state of Pennsylvania. Moose Lodge No. 107 appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard the case argued on 28 February 1972.