Today marks the 53rd anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court decision striking down bans on inter-racial marriage in sixteen states.  The case was argued on April 10, 1967, and announced just two months later, on June 12. Mildred and Richard Loving in 1967 Looking back on the oral arguments in the case, several … Continue reading On This Day in Supreme Court History—June 12, 1967: Loving v. Virginia Announced →

On this day in 1944, the Supreme Court, in the landmark case of Smith v. Allwright, struck down the Texas Democratic Party’s policy of excluding African Americans from participating in its primary election. Texas state law authorized the state’s Democratic Party to establish its own operating rules. Among these rules was a requirement that all … Continue reading On This Day in Supreme Court History—April 3, 1944: The White Primary Struck Down →

On March 28th, 1836, Roger B. Taney became the fifth Chief Justice of the United States. He succeeded John Marshall, arguably the most consequential justice in the history of the Supreme Court. Although Taney would achieve much during his time on the Court, history would not judge Taney’s tenure nearly as positively as that of … Continue reading On this day in Supreme Court History—March 28, 1836: Chief Justice Roger B. Taney Takes Office →

On this day in 1869, Congress increased the number of justices on the Supreme Court from seven to nine—where it has remained ever since. (Whether the number should remain at nine has been a point of renewed attention in recent months.) In 1866, Congress had reduced the number of Supreme Court justices to seven. Republicans … Continue reading On this day in Supreme Court History—April 10, 1869: Getting to Nine →