Loving v. Virginia

Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court.

Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act prohibited interracial marriage. Mildred Jeter (Black) and Richard Loving (white) married in Washington, D.C. and returned to Virginia, where they were charged with violating the law. They pleaded guilty and were sentenced to one year in prison, suspended on condition they leave Virginia. They challenged the law under the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses.

Significance

Chief Justice Warren’s unanimous opinion struck down all state laws banning interracial marriage. The Court held that racial classifications must be subjected to ’the most rigid scrutiny’ and that Virginia’s law had no purpose other than invidious racial discrimination. The decision also recognized marriage as a fundamental right, laying groundwork for later cases including Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). At the time, 16 states still had anti-miscegenation laws.

Category

US Federal Case Law