Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections |
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| Argued May 18 – May 19, 1959 Decided June 8, 1959 |
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| Full case name | Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections |
| Citations | 360 U.S. 45 (more)
79 S. Ct. 985; 3 L. Ed. 2d 1072
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| Prior history | Appeal from the Supreme Court of North Carolina |
| Subsequent history | Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited use of literacy tests |
| Holding | |
| A State may use a literacy test as a qualification for voters provided it is applied equally to all and is not intended to discriminate; it is part of its broad powers to determine the conditions under which the right of suffrage may be exercised. | |
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| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Douglas, joined by unanimous |
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Superseded by
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| Voting Rights Act of 1965 | |
Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections was an important case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1959. It looked at a rule from Northampton County, North Carolina. This rule said that people had to pass a literacy test to be able to vote. The case questioned if this rule was fair and allowed by the U.S. Constitution.
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What Was This Court Case About?
The case of Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections was about whether states could make people take a literacy test before they could vote. A literacy test checks if someone can read and write. In this case, the test was used in Northampton County, North Carolina.
The people who brought the case argued that this test was unfair. They believed it stopped some citizens from being able to vote. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the United States.
The Supreme Court's Decision
The Supreme Court gave its decision on June 8, 1959. Justice William O. Douglas wrote the main opinion for the Court. The Court decided that states could use literacy tests for voters. However, there were important conditions.
The Court said that these tests had to be given fairly to everyone. They could not be used to treat different races differently. Also, the tests could not be "just a way to make racial discrimination easy." The Court believed that states had the power to set rules for voting. This power included making sure voters could read and write.
Why Literacy Tests Were a Problem
Even though the Supreme Court said literacy tests could be legal, there was a big problem. In real life, these tests were often used unfairly. White voting officials sometimes used them to stop minority groups, especially African Americans, from voting. This was a form of racial discrimination.
For example, a white person might get an easy question on the test. A Black person might get a very hard question. Or, they might be told they failed even if they answered correctly. This made it very hard for many people to vote. This unfair practice continued for many years in some states.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
Because of how these tests were used, the United States Congress took action. In 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This important law made it illegal to use literacy tests for voting.
The Voting Rights Act was created to protect the right to vote for all citizens. It made sure that states could not use unfair tests or rules to stop people from voting. This law helped to make voting fair for everyone in the United States.
