Heart of Atlanta Motel v. U.S.: Civil Rights & Commerce Clause in 1964 Act, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Law

Download Heart of Atlanta Motel v. U.S.: Civil Rights & Commerce Clause in 1964 Act and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Law in PDF only on Docsity! Title: Heart of Atlanta Motel v. U.S. US Citation: 379 U.S. 241 (1964) Docket: 515 Events: Argued - October 5, 1964 Decided - December 14, 1964 Subjects: Civil Rights: Desegregation Facts: Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbade racial discrimination by places of public accommodation if their operations affected commerce. The Heart of Atlanta Motel in Atlanta, Georgia, refused to accept Black Americans and was charged with violating Title II. Question Presented: Did Congress, in passing Title II of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, exceed its Commerce Clause powers by depriving motels, such as the Heart of Atlanta, of the right to choose their own customers? Conclusion: The Court held that the Commerce Clause allowed Congress to regulate local incidents of commerce, and that the Civil Right Act of 1964 passed constitutional muster. The Court noted that the applicability of Title II was "carefully limited to enterprises having a direct and substantial relation to the interstate flow of goods and people. . ." The Court thus concluded that places of public accommodation had no "right" to select guests as they saw fit, free from governmental regulation. Justices: Hugo L. Black - (Special Concurrence) Associate justice, wrote an opinion William O. Douglas - (Regular Concurrence) Associate justice, wrote an opinion Tom C. Clark - (Majority) Associate justice, wrote an opinion Earl Warren - (Majority) Chief justice John M. Harlan - (Majority) Associate justice William J. Brennan, Jr. - (Majority) Associate justice Potter Stewart - (Majority) Associate justice Byron R. White - (Majority) Associate justice Arthur J. Goldberg - (Regular Concurrence) Associate justice, wrote an opinion Advocates: Moreton Rolleston, Jr. - argued the cause for the appellant Solicitor General Archibald Cox - argued the cause for the United States