Cases - 1943 term

FPC v. Hope Natural Gas Co.

Wed, 20 Oct 1943 13:00:00 +0000

Case Basics

Docket No.

Petitioner

Federal Power Commission

Petitioner Type

Petitioner

Respondent

Hope Natural Gas Co.

Respondent Type

Respondent

Consolidation

City of Cleveland v. Hope Natural Gas Co., No. 35

Heard By

Stone Court (1943-1945)

Decided By

Stone Court (1943-1945)

Opinion

320 U.S. 591 (1944)

Argued

October 20-21, 1943

Decided

Monday, January 3, 1944

Facts of the Case

None

Question

None

Conclusion

None

Smith v. Allwright

Wed, 12 Jan 1944 13:00:00 +0000

Location

Harris County Clerk

201 Caroline Street Houston TX 77002

Houston, TX 77002

United States

29° 45' 38.934" N, 95° 21' 27.4572" W

See map: Google Maps

Case Basics

Docket No.

Petitioner

Smith

Petitioner Type

Petitioner

Respondent

Allwright

Respondent Type

Respondent

Heard By

Stone Court (1943-1945)

Decided By

Stone Court (1943-1945)

Opinion

321 U.S. 649 (1944)

Argued

Wednesday, January 12, 1944

Decided

Monday, April 3, 1944

Facts of the Case

A resolution of the Democratic Party of Texas, a group that the Texas Supreme Court had deemed a "voluntary association," allowed only whites to participate in Democratic primary elections. S.S. Allwright was a county election official; he denied Lonnie E. Smith, a black man, the right to vote in the 1940 Texas Democratic primary.

Question

Did denying blacks the right to vote in primary elections violate the Fifteenth Amendment?

Conclusion

The Court overruled its decision in Grovey v. Townsend (1935) and found the restrictions against blacks unconstitutional. Even though the Democratic Party was a voluntary organization, the fact that Texas statutes governed the selection of county-level party leaders, the party conducted primary elections under state statutory authority, and state courts were given exclusive original jurisdiction over contested elections, guaranteed for blacks the right to vote in primaries. Allwright engaged in state action abridging Smith's right to vote because of his race. A state cannot "permit a private organization to practice racial discrimination" in elections, argued Justice Reed. (The Court's decision in this matter was amended on June 12, 1944.)

Yakus v. U.S.

Fri, 07 Jan 1944 13:00:00 +0000

Case Basics

Docket No.

374

Petitioner

Yakus

Petitioner Type

Petitioner

Respondent

United States

Respondent Type

Respondent

Consolidation

Rottenberg, et al. v. United States, No. 375

Heard By

Stone Court (1943-1945)

Decided By

Stone Court (1943-1945)

Opinion

321 U.S. 414 (1944)

Argued

Friday, January 7, 1944

Decided

Monday, March 27, 1944

Facts of the Case

None

Question

None

Conclusion

None