Interracial marriage has been a “taboo” subject in the United States, but a case decided on June 12, 1967 arguably changed how people viewed this type of marriage. In the landmark case of Loving v. Virginia (1967), the unanimous decision of the case formally declared the marriage between a couple in which each partner was of a different race as a legal union. Upon marrying in Washington, D.C. and returning to Virginia, newlyweds Richard and Mildred Loving were arrested in 1958 and “charged with unlawful cohabitation and jailed” (American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU], n.d.). At that point in time, “24 states across the country had laws strictly prohibiting marriage between people of different races” (Public Broadcasting Service [PBS], n.d.), including Virginia. Specifically, the state had an “anti-miscegenation” statute on its books,
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A few years later, the couple returned to Virginia again and “were arrested for traveling together” (ACLU) during this instance. The couple grew tired of their constant mistreatment and sought help from the attorney general at the time, who then referred the couple to the ACLU. Thereafter, the ACLU represented the couple during the aforementioned case. Subsequently, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in the couple’s favor; the case was decided in this manner as restricting marriage for interracial couples “violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment” (Oyez, n.d.) to the U.S. Constitution. Essentially, the court found that the bans prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional because the government cannot infringe upon an individual’s freedom to marry a person of another race. Since the highest court in the United States made the ruling, this was a binding decision for all 50 states in the United States of America. Therefore, interracial marriage was now a legally recognized union in states
A few years later, the couple returned to Virginia again and “were arrested for traveling together” (ACLU) during this instance. The couple grew tired of their constant mistreatment and sought help from the attorney general at the time, who then referred the couple to the ACLU. Thereafter, the ACLU represented the couple during the aforementioned case. Subsequently, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in the couple’s favor; the case was decided in this manner as restricting marriage for interracial couples “violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment” (Oyez, n.d.) to the U.S. Constitution. Essentially, the court found that the bans prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional because the government cannot infringe upon an individual’s freedom to marry a person of another race. Since the highest court in the United States made the ruling, this was a binding decision for all 50 states in the United States of America. Therefore, interracial marriage was now a legally recognized union in states