Anderson v. Martin

Anderson v. Martin
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued November 20, 1963
Decided January 13, 1964
Full case nameDupuy H. Anderson v. Wade O. Martin, Jr
Citations375 U.S. 399 (more)
84 S.Ct. 454, 11 L.Ed.2d 430
Case history
PriorDupuy H. Anderson and Acie J. Belton, Complainants, v. Wade O. Martin, jr, E.D. La.
Holding
Compulsory designation by Louisiana of the race of the candidate on the ballot operates as a discrimination against appellants, and is violative of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Earl Warren
Associate Justices
Hugo Black · William O. Douglas
Tom C. Clark · John M. Harlan II
William J. Brennan Jr. · Potter Stewart
Byron White · Arthur Goldberg
Case opinion
MajorityClark, joined by unanimous
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. XIV

Anderson v. Martin, 375 U.S. 399, was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held unconstitutional a Louisiana statute that required that the race of all candidates be listed on ballots.[1][2]

Background

In 1962, African-American Democratic candidates for the school board elections of East Baton Rouge Parish filed suit against the Louisiana Secretary of State to stop enforcement of Act 538 of the 1960 Louisiana Legislature, § 1174.1 of Title 18 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. This law requires the race of the candidate to be printed in parentheses next to the candidate's name, which they alleged violated the 14th Amendment and 15th Amendment. The United States District Court denied requests for a temporary restraining order and injunctions. Soon after, the plaintiffs amended their complaint on the basis that they lost on the election due to the law in question.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Anderson v. Martin, 375 U.S. 399 (2019).
  2. ^ Lieberman, Jethro K. (1999). "Access to Ballot". A Practical Companion to the Constitution. p. 24.