Evans v. Newton - Impact

Evans v. Newton was an important case for supporters of desegregation and racial equity. In its broad definition of a public facility, the Court made a number of previously private facilities subject to the same scrutiny as public places. Businesses operating within public buildings, for example, would now have to maintain constitutional policies regarding the clientele they served. Significantly, following the Court's ruling in this case, the newly appointed private trustees of the park decided to shut it down altogether rather than desegregate it. This led to another case, Evans v. Abney (1970), brought by African American groups who claimed that the park's closing violated their constitutional right to equal protection. The Court did not credit their argument, however, ruling that the park's closure affected all races equally, and as such was constitutional.