Bell v. Maryland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bell v. Maryland |
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Argued October 14 – October 15, 1963 Decided June 22, 1964 |
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Full case name | Robert Mack Bell et at., v. Maryland |
Citations | 378 U.S. 226 (more)
84 S. Ct. 1814; 12 L. Ed. 2d 822
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Prior history | 227 Md. 302, 176 A.2d 771 (1962) (upholding conviction) |
Subsequent history | 236 Md. 356, 204 A.2d 54 (1964) (upholding conviction); 236 Md. 356, rehearing granted and conviction reversed (April 9, 1965). |
Holding | |
The Supreme Court vacated the judgment and remanded to the Court of Appeals of Maryland to allow consideration whether a change in state law should result in dismissal of the convictions. | |
Court membership | |
Case opinions | |
Majority | Brennan, joined by Warren, Clark, Stewart, Goldberg |
Concurrence | Douglas |
Concurrence | Goldberg, joined by Warren, Douglas |
Dissent | Black, joined by Harlan, White |
Bell v. Maryland was an important case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1964. It looked at whether a private restaurant could refuse service to people based on their race. This was a big question about the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The 14th Amendment says that states must treat everyone equally. It also says that no one can be denied their rights without a fair legal process. The Supreme Court had to decide if these rules applied to private businesses.
In the end, the Court sent the case back to Maryland. They wanted Maryland's highest court to see if new state laws meant the students' convictions should be dropped.
Contents
What Happened at Hooper's Restaurant?
In 1960, a group of twelve African American students went to Hooper's restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland. They wanted to be served, but the restaurant refused because of their race. This was a common practice called racial discrimination.
The students decided to hold a "sit-in". This meant they sat down at the restaurant and refused to leave until they were served. Because they wouldn't leave, they were arrested. They were charged with criminal trespass, which means being on someone's property without permission.
The students were found guilty and fined $10. They appealed their case all the way to Maryland's highest court. But that court also said they were guilty. So, the students asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case. The Supreme Court agreed to review it.
The Supreme Court's Decision
The Supreme Court had to decide if the 14th Amendment applied to private restaurants. But while the case was being heard, something important happened. Both the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland passed new laws. These laws made it illegal for restaurants and other public places to refuse service based on race.
Because of these new laws, the Supreme Court decided not to make a final ruling on the 14th Amendment question. Instead, they sent the case back to the Maryland court. They wanted the Maryland court to decide if the students' convictions should be canceled because the laws had changed.
The Court noted that usually, if a law changes and something that was a crime is no longer a crime, then any ongoing cases for that crime should be dismissed. The Supreme Court believed this idea might apply to the students' situation.
Different Opinions from the Justices
Not all the Supreme Court justices fully agreed on the best way to handle the case.
- Justice Goldberg agreed with sending the case back. But he also thought that if the Court had decided the main issue, the 14th Amendment should have protected the students.
- Justice Douglas wanted the Court to go further. He thought the students' convictions should be immediately canceled.
- Justice Black disagreed with the others. He believed the 14th Amendment did not apply to private property. He thought the students' trespass convictions should stand.
What Happened Next?
On April 9, 1965, the Maryland Court of Appeals finally canceled the students' convictions. The city of Baltimore was also told to pay back the money for the appeal costs.
One of the students involved was Robert M. Bell. His name was first alphabetically, so the case was named after him. Years later, Robert Bell became a lawyer. In 1984, he was appointed as a judge on the very same Maryland Court of Appeals that had ruled against him. He even became the Chief Judge of that court in 1996!
The Bell case helped set the stage for future civil rights decisions. Later that year, in a case called Hamm v. City of Rock Hill, the Supreme Court said that if someone was arrested for protesting segregation, and then a new law like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made segregation illegal, their conviction should be dropped.
You can even find all the legal papers from the Bell v. Maryland case online. The Maryland State Archives has put them there for people to learn from.
See also
- Civil Rights Movement
- List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 378