Washington v. Davis | |
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Argued March 1, 1976 Decided June 7, 1976 | |
Full case name | Washington, Mayor of Washington, D.C., et al. v. Davis, et al. |
Citations | 426 U.S. 229 (more) 96 S. Ct. 2040; 48 L. Ed. 2d 597; 1976 U.S. LEXIS 154; 12 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1415; 11 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) ¶ 10,958 |
Case history | |
Prior | Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit |
Subsequent | 168 U.S. App. D.C. 42, 512 F.2d 956, reversed. |
Holding | |
To be unconstitutional, racial discrimination by the government must contain two elements: a discriminatory purpose and a discriminatory impact. | |
Court membership | |
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Case opinions | |
Majority | White, joined by Burger, Blackmun, Powell, Rehnquist, Stevens; Stewart (Parts I and II) |
Concurrence | Stevens |
Dissent | Brennan, joined by Marshall |
Laws applied | |
U.S. Const. amend. V Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
Washington v. Davis, 426 U.S. 229 (1976), was a United States Supreme Court case that established that laws that have a racially discriminatory effect but were not adopted to advance a racially discriminatory purpose are valid under the U.S. Constitution.[1]