Home > West's Encyclopedia of American Law > Civil Rights Cases

A landmark decision, which was a consolidation of several cases brought before the SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES in 1883 that declared the CIVIL RIGHTS ACT of 1875 (18 Stat. 336) unconstitutional and ultimately led to the enactment of state laws, such as JIM CROW LAWS, which codified what had previously been individual adherence to the practice of racial SEGREGATION. The cases were United States v. Stanley, United States v. Ryan, United States v. Nichols, and United States v. Singleton, 109 U.S. 3, 3 S. Ct. 18, 27 L. Ed. 835.

The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was passed by...