Loving v. Virginia

Hannah Conwell

Supreme Court case

1967

DEFENDANT:Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter Loving

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/01/01/magazine/look-loving-versus-bigotry.html?_r=0

http://www.popmatters.com/column/a-loving-memorial/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/is-the-loving-story-over-even-now/2012/02/13/gIQAkrqECR_blog.html

PLAINTIFF:Virginia’s Circuit Court

http://rcyounglaw.com/2011/09/21/virginia-civil-actions-what-are-the-differences-between-the-general-district-court-and-the-circuit-court-richmond-virginia/

http://www.fredericksburgagent.com/caroline/

Original Jurisdiction

Their story…

Mildred pregnant at 17

Went to Washington, D.C. to marry

Returned to hometown (Caroline County, VA)

Arrested on July 14th for the first time for “unlawful cohabitation”

Sentenced to one year in prison

Richard stayed one night, out on $1,000 bond

Mildred released a few days later

Sentence would be suspended if couple left Virginia for 25 years

http://thesaltcollective.org/thanks-mildred-richard-loving-interracial-marriage/

Details of the case

Agreed, went back to D.C. to liveHad first child, Sidney

Hated D.C. They were unhappy

Traveled to VA to have second and third children, Donald and Peggy, and to visit family

They could do this as long as they traveled separately

Returned to Caroline 5 years later

Arrested a second time for traveling together

https://www.google.com/search?q=loving+family&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=923&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiXrr6j_8zJAhWDipAKHQJsDcoQ_AUIBigB#safe=strict&tbm=isch&q=mldred+and+robert+loving+family&imgrc=8y3nopfzBW-HEM%3A

Family…Details of the case

Mildred wrote to Attorney General Robert Kennedy for help

She couldn’t afford a lawyer, so he referred her to 2 lawyers who agreed to help free of charge

Went to the US supreme court

June 12, 1967 – Supreme Court overruled VA’s law

The couple was free to go home together

Victory…

http://thesaltcollective.org/thanks-mildred-richard-loving-interracial-marriage/

Details of the case

Opinion of the court…

Chief Justice Earl Warren

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/brownvboard/brownsct.html

“marriage is a basic civil right and to deny this right on the basis of race is directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the 14th Amendment and deprives all citizen’s liberty without due process of law.”

Happily Ever After

(Almost)……

After the case…

1975 – a drunk driver struck Richard and Mildred’s vehicle

Robert killed on impact

Mildred lost sight in her right eye

Couple happily raised their children together in their Virginian home for many years…until…

In 2008- Mildred died of pneumonia

http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/collection_0c4751a8-fa4f-11e4-bfdf-7f162ae432f4.html

My opinion…

I agree with the majority decision in this case

People should not be defined by who they were created to be or judged because of who they chose to love

I am happy that there is marriage equality in Virginia

I liked this case because I could relate to it

https://www.haikudeck.com/interracial-relationships-education-presentation-kMU5yaWJsV

How times have changed…

http://cb.iphantom.com/charlotte/restricted.html?fn=students&fp=2&ip=10.12.1.66&ibip=10.11.11.48&ldu=0&re=0&bu=thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2011/05/20/177434/same-sex-interracial-marriage/&bc=Keyword:%20%22sex%22