Terry v. Adams
Terry v. Adams is a landmark Supreme Court case from 1953 that addressed the issue of racial discrimination in the electoral process, specifically concerning the exclusion of African American voters from primary elections in Texas. The case emerged after the Jaybird Democratic Association, established in 1889, held primaries for the Democratic Party that effectively disenfranchised black voters while allowing white voters to participate. The Supreme Court ruled by an 8-1 majority that the white primaries were unconstitutional, asserting that they violated the Fifteenth Amendment which prohibits denying the right to vote based on race.
Justice Hugo L. Black, who delivered the decision, emphasized the importance of inclusive elections, while other justices highlighted the complicity of Southern election officials in maintaining discriminatory practices. The ruling underscored the view that white primaries were public institutions, thus falling under the jurisdiction of federal electoral laws. The lone dissenting opinion, by Justice Sherman Minton, characterized the white primary as merely an interest group activity rather than a public election. This decision was significant as it challenged systemic racism within the electoral process, thereby laying the groundwork for broader civil rights advancements.
Terry v. Adams
Date: May 4, 1953
Citation: 345 U.S. 461
Issue: White primaries
Significance: The Supreme Court clearly declared the white primary unconstitutional.
Beginning in 1889, the Jaybird Democratic Association in Texas started the practice of holding a primary election to select candidates for the Democratic Party in order to circumvent the Fifteenth Amendment. These candidates, often uncontested, usually were elected to office. Although white voters could participate in this process, black voters were excluded. The Supreme Court, by a vote of eight to one, declared the white primaries unconstitutional. Justice Hugo L. Black announced the decision for the 8-1 majority in this case, but there was no majority opinion. Instead, there were a series of opinions issued by various justices. Black emphasized that the government could not exclude African Americans from primaries, which were the only significant elections in most southern jurisdictions. Justice Felix Frankfurter criticized the complicity of southern election officials in excluding African Americans from the process. Justice Tom C. Clark focused on the fact that the white primary was an adjunct of the state-regulated Democratic Party. In general, eight justices believed that in some way, the white primary was a public institution in violation of the Fifteenth Amendment. Only Justice Sherman Minton dissented, finding that the white primary acted simply as an interest group.
