15 October 1883
Court decisionSupplement
Civil Rights Cases weaken federal protection against private discrimination
United States; Black people seeking equal public access
The Supreme Court invalidated the 1875 act’s public-accommodations provisions, limiting congressional use of the Fourteenth Amendment against private discrimination. The decision opened space for entrenched exclusion.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
The distinction between private conduct and state action was central to the ruling.