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Harper v. Virginia Bd. Of Elections, 383 U.S. 663 (1966)
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General SummaryThis case is from a collection containing the full text of over 16,000 Supreme Court cases from 1793 to the present. The body of Supreme Court decisions are, effectively, the final interpretation of the Constitution. Only an amendment to the Constitution can permanently overturn an interpretation and this has happened only four times in American history.
Harper v. Virginia Bd. Of Elections, 383 U.S. 663 (1966)
Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections No. 48 Argued January 25-26, 1966 Decided March 24, 1966 * 383 U.S. 663
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
Syllabus
Appellants, Virginia residents, brought this action to have Virginia’s poll tax declared unconstitutional. The three-judge District Court dismissed the complaint on the basis of Breedlove v. Suttles, 302 U.S. 277.
Held: A State’s conditioning of the right to vote on the payment of a fee or tax violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Breedlove v. Suttle, supra, pro tanto overruled. Pp. 665-670.
(a) Once the franchise is granted to the electorate, lines which determine who may vote may not be drawn so as to cause invidious discrimination. Pp. 665-667.
(b) Fee payments or wealth, like race, creed, or color, are unrelated to the citizen’s ability to participate intelligently in the electoral process. Pp. 666-668.
(c) The interest of the State, when it comes to voting registration, is limited to the fixing of standards related to the applicant’s qualifications as a voter. P. 668.
(d) Lines drawn on the basis of wealth or property, like those of race, are traditionally disfavored. P. 668.
(e) Classifications which might impinge on fundamental rights and liberties -- such as the franchise -- must be closely scrutinized. P. 670.
240 F.Supp. 270, reversed.
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Chicago: U.S. Supreme Court, "Syllabus," Harper v. Virginia Bd. Of Elections, 383 U.S. 663 (1966) in 383 U.S. 663 383 U.S. 664. Original Sources, accessed November 24, 2024, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=T224266D6HM29YH.
MLA: U.S. Supreme Court. "Syllabus." Harper v. Virginia Bd. Of Elections, 383 U.S. 663 (1966), in 383 U.S. 663, page 383 U.S. 664. Original Sources. 24 Nov. 2024. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=T224266D6HM29YH.
Harvard: U.S. Supreme Court, 'Syllabus' in Harper v. Virginia Bd. Of Elections, 383 U.S. 663 (1966). cited in 1966, 383 U.S. 663, pp.383 U.S. 664. Original Sources, retrieved 24 November 2024, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=T224266D6HM29YH.
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