On this date in 1946, the U. S. Supreme Court decided Morgan v. Virginia, a landmark case in which the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation in interstate bus travel was unconstitutional. The plaintiff in the case was Irene Morgan Kirkaldy.
William H. Hastie, of Washington, D. C., and Thurgood Marshall, of New York City, argued the case on March 27, 1946. Briefly, it stated that: “As a violation of the requirement of separation by the carrier it became a misdemeanor. The driver or other person in charge is directed and required to increase or decrease the space allotted to the respective races as may be necessary or proper and may require passengers to change their seats to comply with the allocation.
"The operator's failure to enforce the provisions is made a misdemeanor.”
Historic U.S. Cases 1690-1993:
An Encyclopedia New York
Copyright 1992 Garland Publishing, New York
ISBN 0-8240-4430-4
