Loving V. Virginia

In June of 1958, Richard Loving, a white man, married Mildred Delores Jeter, a part African American and part Native American woman. The couple got married in Washington, D.C., outside of their hometown of Caroline County, Virginia. Shortly after the wedding, they returned home to Virginia. At the time, Virginia law included the Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which banned an interracial couple from marrying. The Lovings married in the District of Columbia in order to escape the multiracial laws of Virginia. Not long after they wed, a police officer barged into their home on an anonymous tip and saw the two together. They were arrested and charged with breaking the law. They were held in jail for a few days before pleading guilty to their marriage

Kennedy challenging the conviction and “[requesting] a state trial court to vacate the judgment against them on that the Virginia miscegenation laws violated the fourteenth Amendment” (Brannen and Hanes). He passed the matter to the American Civil Liberties Union who then “filed a motion on the Loving’s behalf” (Broderick). By reopening the case, the pair risked up to 5 years of jail time with no appeal, but Judge Bazile refused to vacate the conviction as he defended Virginia’s antimiscegenetion laws. The request was denied. However, his decision was appealed and the case went on to the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in 1966. They also affirmed the conviction, backing up Virginia’s laws by claiming that they were rational and had legitimate reasoning. The Lovings then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court finally agreed to hear the Lovings’ case. The case attorneys for the Lovings were backed up by organizations and law firms like the ACLU and the NAACP. Assistant Attorney general R.D. Mcllwaine III argued that Virginia was only protecting interracial marriage couples as they faced greater pressure and problems in society. They also justified their actions by claiming that they were fair because the treatment between blacks and whites was equal. Philip Hirschkop, the attorney for the Lovings, argued that their 14th Amendment was violated because they were denied equal protection under

At the time this case was decided, a cultural redefinition of marriage was beginning to take place. More and more people were becoming open to the idea of interracial marriage as they began accepting it. This court case served as further reassurance that interracial marriage wasn’t a bad thing at all. People began to understand that marriage should be between two people that love each other, no matter what their race is. Most people also realized that it was the basic, fundamental rights that established America that should allow citizens to follow their dreams and do whatever makes them happy. As these ideas began to develop and evolve more, people became more comfortable with interracial relationships as they become more frequent. The amount of people in mixed race relationships went up in part as a result of this case because people felt more free to love who they wanted. Courts now scrutinize racial classifications. The ruling also outlawed interracial marriage prohibitions. Today this case serves as a basis for reference for other court cases as well. It provides an example of how certain rights should be exemplified, and it shows which rights are the most important and concerning. Today, this court case has inspired people to have the freedom to choose any marriage partner that they love. This translates over into the right for gay people to