Smith v. Allwright facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Smith v. Allwright |
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| Reargued January 12, 1944 Decided April 3, 1944 |
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| Full case name | Smith v. Allwright, Election Judge, et al. |
| Citations | 321 U.S. 649 (more) |
| Holding | |
| Primary elections must be open to voters of all races. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Reed, joined by Stone, Black, Douglas, Murphy, Jackson, Rutledge |
| Concurrence | Frankfurter (in the judgment of the court only) |
| Dissent | Roberts |
"Smith v. Allwright" was a very important court case in the United States that helped make sure everyone had the right to vote equally.
Contents
What was it about?
"Smith v. Allwright" was a case decided by the Supreme Court in 1944. It was all about voting rights and making sure that people were not unfairly excluded from participating in elections because of their race.
Backstory
After the Civil War, the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution were passed to protect the rights of African Americans. The 15th Amendment, in particular, said that the right to vote could not be denied based on race or color.
In Texas, the Democratic Party had a rule that only white people could vote in their primary elections. Primary elections are like tryouts where each political party chooses who will represent them in the main election.
Because the Democratic Party was so strong in Texas at the time, winning the Democratic primary was almost like winning the whole election. So, if African Americans couldn't vote in the Democratic primary, they didn't really have a meaningful say in who got elected. These were called "white primaries". This practice of white primaries effectively stopped African Americans from having a real voice in choosing their leaders.
Who was involved?
- Lonnie E. Smith: He was an African American dentist in Houston, Texas, who wanted to vote in the Democratic primary but was not allowed to because of his race.
- S.S. Allwright: He was the election official in Harris County, Texas, who stopped Smith from voting.
- Thurgood Marshall: A lawyer who worked for the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). He later became a Supreme Court Justice himself!
The Case
In 1940, Lonnie E. Smith tried to vote in the Texas Democratic primary but was turned away because he was Black.
Smith sued Allwright, arguing that the white primary rule violated his rights under the 14th and 15th Amendments.
The case went through different courts until it finally reached the Supreme Court.
Thurgood Marshall argued that the Democratic Party's primary was an important part of the election process, and excluding African Americans was against the Constitution.
The Supreme Court's Decision
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Smith, saying that the white primary in Texas was unconstitutional. The Court said that because the state gave the Democratic Party the power to run the primary elections, it couldn't allow the party to discriminate based on race. It was like the state itself was discriminating, which is not allowed under the 15th Amendment. The Supreme Court had previously made some decisions that allowed white primaries. In "Smith v. Allwright," they changed their minds and said those earlier decisions were wrong.
Why was this case so important?
- "Smith v. Allwright" was a big win for voting rights. It made it clear that states could not use political parties to get around the Constitution and deny people the right to vote based on their race.
- This decision helped open up the election process to more people and allowed African Americans to have a greater say in their government.
- "Smith v. Allwright" was an important step forward for the civil rights movement, which was a fight to end unfair treatment and segregation (keeping people of different races apart) and ensure equal rights for all Americans.
- This case was one of the many important cases that Thurgood Marshall worked on to fight for civil rights. It helped pave the way for him to become the first African American Supreme Court Justice.
What happened next?
Even after "Smith v. Allwright," there were still other ways that some people tried to stop African Americans from voting. But this case was a strong foundation for future legal battles and helped to bring about more changes.
