S UPREME C OURT C ASES

U.S. V. R EESE 1876  African American in Kentucky was barred from registering to vote  Elected official was charged with violating Enforcement Act 1870  Court ruled that the 15 th Am. did not grant the right to suffrage, rather, it prohibited racial exclusion of it  Court could not use Enforcement Act to enforce the 15 th Am.  Supreme Court upheld poll tax, literacy test, grandfather clause

M UNN V. I LLINOIS 1877  Munn convicted of violating Illinois state laws regulating max rates for services  Munn argued the 14 th Am. (property, due process), private enterprise was separate from state gov.  Ruling: private companies that benefit the public marketplace can be subject to legislation  State regulation, even with railroads

R EYNOLDS V. U NITED S TATES 1878  George Reynolds (secretary to Brigham Young) was convicted of practicing bigamy  He argued that the 1 st Am. protected plural marriage as a religious practice, and that the federal anti- bigamy law was unconstitutional  Decision: 1 st Am. protects religious belief, not religious practices that are seen as criminal

P LESSY V. F ERGUSON 1896  Homer Plessy challenged state law prohibiting blacks from riding in white only rail cars; he was arrested for refusing to move  Equal protection of the laws under the 14 th Am.  Court ruled separate but equal facilities do not violate the 14 th Am. as long as both facilities are equal  Legacy: segregation soared in the South, now that it was backed by the Court (Jim Crow laws)

L OCHNER V. N EW Y ORK 1905  NY enacted a statute forbidding bakers to work more than 60 hr weeks (10 hr day)  Argued the 14 th Am. of due process: personal right to work  Ruling: statute interfered with freedom of contract, employer and employee can enter into an individual contract without state intervention

M ULLER V. O REGON 1908  Oregon enacted a law limiting women’s working hours to 10 hr days  Muller was owner of laundry service that hired females  Freedom of contract: 14 th Am. and Lochner v. NY decision  Ruling: no violation was made by the state, physical and social differences between genders called for different laws  Legacy: sex discrimination