Plessy v. Ferguson
Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under 'separate but equal.'
Plessy v. Supreme Court history, though it has never been explicitly overruled.
- court
- United States Supreme Court
- vote
- 7–1
- majority_opinion_by
- Justice Henry Billings Brown
- dissenting_justice
- Justice John Marshall Harlan
- legal_doctrine_established
- separate but equal
Lore & Background
Plessy was arrested by a private detective hired by the Comité des Citoyens, a civil rights group that orchestrated the test case. At trial, Judge John Howard Ferguson denied Plessy's motion to dismiss the charges, and the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld that ruling.
Reader's Guide
The U.S. Supreme Court's 7–1 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson held that the Louisiana law did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment, reasoning that the amendment established legal equality but did not eliminate all distinctions based on color. The Court deferred to state legislatures' police power to regulate health, safety, and morals. Justice John Marshall Harlan dissented, arguing the Constitution is color-blind. Although never explicitly overruled, the decision was severely weakened beginning with Brown v.
Did You Know?
- Homer Plessy was an octoroon—seven-eighths white and one-eighth black ancestry—but was classified as black under Louisiana law.
- The Comité des Citoyens hired a private detective with arrest powers to ensure Plessy would be charged under the Separate Car Act rather than for vagrancy.
- Justice John Marshall Harlan was the lone dissenter, writing that the U.S. Constitution 'is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens.'
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the vote and who wrote the majority opinion?
The Court ruled 7–1 to uphold Louisiana's segregation law. Justice Henry Billings Brown penned the majority opinion, reasoning that physically separate facilities could satisfy the equal-protection requirement even if they carried a social stigma of inferiority.
Who dissented in Plessy v. Ferguson and why is that dissent famous?
Justice John Marshall Harlan was the lone dissenter, arguing that the Constitution is color-blind and that the majority's logic would brand Black citizens as a subordinate caste. His lone voice is frequently called one of the most powerful dissents in the Court's history.
Why do legal scholars rank Plessy v. Ferguson among the Court's worst decisions?
The ruling transformed racial segregation from a local social custom into a constitutionally sanctioned legal regime, entrenching disenfranchisement and inequality for nearly six decades. It is widely cited as the decision that made Jim Crow not merely a cultural norm but a state-enforced legal structure.
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