| Resource Contacts History American Chronology Supreme Court Cases Case Synopses Educational Resources Electronic Materials |
FAIR HOUSING IN AMERICA
CHRONOLOGY OF IMPORTANT U.S. SUPREME COURT CASES
| 1857 | Dred Scott v. Sandford |
Persons of African descent, whether they be slaves or free, are not “citizens” of the United States entitled to the privileges and immunities of white citizens. |
| 1883 | Civil Rights Cases | 14th Amendment prohibits discrimination only if it is the product of State (government) action. The 14th Amendment does not prohibit private acts of discrimination. |
| 1896 | Plessy v. Ferguson | Court sets forth “separate but equal” rule, thus permitting institutionalized segregation. |
| 1917 | Buchanan v. Warley | Court strikes down racial zoning law (on “equal protection” grounds) which had specifically limited blacks and other minorities to specific areas of town. |
| 1948 | Shelley v. Kraemer | Court held that state court enforcement of private restrictive covenants (based upon race) amounted to sufficient “government” involvement to violate equal protection clause of 14th amendment. |
| 1948 | Hurd v. Hodge | The Shelley rule applies equally to federal courts (in this case, the District of Columbia), as well as state courts. |
| 1954 | Brown v. Board of Education | Court finally reverses Plessy decision, ending the “separate but equal” era. |
| 1967 | Reitman v. Mulkey | Court held that California state constitutional amendment, which effectively nullified California’s fair housing laws, violated the equal protection clause, since the amendment encouraged private racial housing discrimination. |
| 1968 | Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer Co | Court gives new life to the 1866 Civil Rights Act by holding that section 1982 bars racial discrimination (private as well as public) in the sale or rental of property. |
| 1972 | Trafficante v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. |
In the Court’s first Title VIII decision, Court held that Fair Housing Act should be broadly construed, that Title VII (federal employment discrimination) court cases can be used to interpret Title VIII, and that HUD’s interpretations of the Act should be entitled to “great weight.” |
| 1977 | Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp. | Court holds that a housing corporation and neighborhood residents had standing to challenge municipality’s denial of rezoning, which was alleged to have a racially disproportionate impact. (But Court also held that some “discriminatory intent or purpose was required to prove unconstitutional behavior.”) |
| 1979 | Gladstone Realtors v. Bellwood (1979) | Court upholds municipality and residents’ standing to use local real estate brokers for racial steering. |
| 1982 | Havens Realty Corp. v. Coleman | Extends standing to sue in racial steering cases to fair housing organizations and “testers” who investigate housing discrimination complaints. |
Home |
Employers & Business | Fair Housing |
General Information | The Commission
Outreach| Complaint
Process| Publications | Related News | Job Opportunities | WA Native Americans
Farmworker Rights | Limited English Proficiency | Diversity | Disability Matters | Women's Issues
Sexual Orientation | Veterans | Hate Incidents/Crimes | Contact Us
To obtain this information in an alternate format or if you have questions or comments about this site, please contact the Webmaster. PRIVACY NOTICE