Giles v. Harris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Giles v. Harris |
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| Submitted February 24, 1903 Decided April 27, 1903 |
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| Full case name | Jackson W. Giles, Appellant v. E. Jeff Harris, William A. Gunter, Jr., and Charles B. Teasley, Board of Registrars of Montgomery County, Alabama |
| Citations | 189 U.S. 475 (more)
23 S. Ct. 639; 47 L. Ed. 909; 1903 U.S. LEXIS 1378
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| Prior history | Appeal from the Circuit Court of the United States for the Middle District of Alabama |
| Holding | |
| The Court refused to assist African Americans in Alabama who were being systematically denied the right to vote by a scheme set up by the all-white state legislature. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Holmes, joined by Fuller, White, Peckham, McKenna, Day |
| Dissent | Brewer, joined by Brown |
| Dissent | Harlan |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const., Amendments XI & XV | |
Giles v. Harris was a very important case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1903. It was about whether Black citizens in Alabama could vote. The Court decided to keep Alabama's rules for voter registration. This happened even though many people believed these rules were unfair to Black citizens.
The Court said that the rules applied to everyone. They refused to look at how the rules were used in real life. Because the law didn't say it was meant to stop Black people from voting, the Court allowed it to stand.
The famous African-American educator Booker T. Washington secretly helped fund this lawsuit. He also helped Jackson W. Giles with another case called Giles v. Teasley (1904). Washington worked hard behind the scenes to support many lawsuits against unfair segregation laws.
Contents
Why Was This Case Important?
This case was important because it showed how difficult it was for Black citizens to gain their right to vote in the early 1900s. Even after the American Civil War, many states found ways to stop Black people from voting. This case was a big setback for voting rights.
What Was the Background of the Case?
Jackson W. Giles was a Black man from Montgomery, Alabama. He sued on behalf of over 5,000 Black citizens. They wanted a federal court to make Alabama register them to vote. Giles had been able to vote for 30 years, from 1871 to 1901. But then, Alabama passed a new state constitution.
New Rules for Voting
The new rules made it very hard for Black people to register.
- One rule was like a "grandfather clause." If you were registered before January 1, 1903, you were registered for life. Most white people were already registered by then.
- If you weren't registered by that date (which included most Black people), you had to pass a special test. This test checked your understanding of citizenship.
- White election officials gave this test. They often used it unfairly. Most white people passed easily, but most Black people were rejected. This meant fewer Black people could vote.
Why Did the First Court Dismiss the Case?
The first court, a federal district court, dismissed Giles's case. They said he wasn't asking for enough money in damages. At that time, federal courts usually only heard cases if someone was suing for at least $2,000. Giles had not asked for any specific amount of money. So, he appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.
What Question Did the Supreme Court Consider?
The main question for the Supreme Court was: Do federal courts have the power to hear a case where state officials are accused of working together to stop Black people from voting?
What Was the Supreme Court's Decision?
The Supreme Court decided to uphold the dismissal of the case. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. wrote the main opinion. The Court gave two main reasons:
- First, the Court noted that Giles wanted the whole registration system to be declared unconstitutional. But he only asked to be registered himself. The Court felt that just adding his name wouldn't fix the whole unfair system.
- Second, the Court said that the Eleventh Amendment stopped people from suing a state directly in a federal court. The Court believed it couldn't force the state to change its voting process. They thought it would be too hard to monitor the elections, especially since many white people wanted to stop Black people from voting.
Justices Who Disagreed (Dissenting Opinions)
Justice John Marshall Harlan and Justice David Josiah Brewer disagreed with the Court's decision.
- Justice Harlan thought the Court should have just focused on the money issue (the $2,000 requirement). He felt they didn't need to decide if federal courts had the power to hear such cases.
- Both Harlan and Brewer believed that federal courts should have the power to hear cases like this.
What Happened After the Case?
After Giles v. Harris, Jackson Giles tried again in Giles v. Teasley. He tried to meet the Court's reasons for dismissing his first case, but his challenge was still rejected.
It took many years for the Supreme Court to change its mind. Later cases finally said that the right to vote is protected by the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This meant federal courts did have the power to protect citizens' voting rights in states.
A very important law, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, was passed by Congress. This law gave the federal government power to watch over voter registration and elections. It helped make sure that African Americans and other minority groups could register and vote. Even with this law, it still took more time and court cases to fully achieve equal voting rights.
