James M. Nabrit, Jr
James M. Nabrit, Jr. was a prominent civil rights attorney known for his pivotal role in advancing voting rights and challenging racial segregation in the United States. He notably fought against discriminatory laws that barred African Americans from participating in Democratic primary elections, with landmark cases such as Nixon v. Herndon (1927) and Nixon v. Condon (1932), where he successfully argued that such laws violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause. Nabrit also collaborated with fellow attorney Thurgood Marshall in significant cases focused on desegregation, including McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (1950) and Bolling v. Sharpe (1954). His efforts contributed to the broader movement toward racial equality and culminated in the Supreme Court's declaration that public school segregation was unconstitutional. Through his legal work, Nabrit played a crucial part in the civil rights struggle, advocating for the rights of African Americans and influencing landmark judicial decisions in the mid-20th century.
Subject Terms
James M. Nabrit, Jr.
Significance: Attorney Nabrit participated in many Supreme Court cases involving voting rights and public school segregation.
Nabrit defended the voting rights of African Americans in several Supreme Court cases. In Nixon v. Herndon (1927), Nabrit challenged a law passed by the Texas legislature in 1923 that prevented African Americans from voting in state Democratic primary elections. The Court unanimously decided that this law violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In response, the Texas legislature authorized state political parties to establish their own rules for primary elections. In Nixon v. Condon (1932), the Court agreed with Nabrit that this authorization also was unconstitutional.
Nabrit participated in Court cases involving public school segregation with fellow attorney Thurgood Marshall, who served as an associate justice on the Court from 1967 to 1991. In McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (1950), Nabrit and Marshall argued successfully against racial segregation in state universities. Nabrit also worked with Marshall in Bolling v. Sharpe (1954), a case involving public school segregation in the District of Columbia. This case, along with others, led the Court to declare all public school segregation unconstitutional on May 17, 1954.