Loving v. Virginia Ridley, 5 Loving v. Virginia: The Right to Marry RyAnn Ridley Liberty High School AP Government 3AB Loving v. Virginia was a moving case that contributed to the declaration of the miscegenation laws of Virginia, and other states, unconstitutional. It was brought to the Supreme Court in 1967 (Moore, 2010). An interracial couple was found guilty of breaking Virginia?s anti-miscegenation laws and sentenced to a year in jail (Loving v. Virginia, 2015). Mildred Jeter, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, were an interracial couple that got married in the District of Columbia (Loving v. Virginia, 2015). They then moved to Caroline County, Virginia. In October 1958, the couple was charged, by …show more content…
Virginia were Pace v. Alabama and McLaughlin v. Florida (Huang, 2015). In Pace v. Alabama the court sustained a charge that stated, under the statute of Alabama, adultery or indecent relations between whites and blacks was forbidden. The first decision of this case was that it couldn?t possibly be discrimination because both parties got equal consequences. It was later decided that the reasoning for this statute was illogical (Loving v. Virginia, 2015). In McLaughlin v. Florida two persons of different races, white and black, shared the same room. Even though there was no proof of sexual relations it was considered an offense. The fact that they were not married also did not help their case. The court decided that there was more of a problem in the fact that they were committing adultery. Charging them solely because of their race and the fact that they were ?forbidden? was violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment which states that every American Citizen will have equal protection and justice under the law (Loving v. Virginia, 2015). Loving v. Virginia was a precedent case for the Supreme Court case that established Gay Marriage legal, Obergefell v. Hodges. This demonstrates how much of an impact the case made for the world. America has been able to overcome more and more prejudice, racism, and discrimination thanks to one case. One case can make a huge difference and cause change and it has been …show more content…
The Virginia law was thus granted unconstitutional and did away with. Loving and Jeter returned to Virginia and had a family together. In 1975 Richard was involved in a fatal car accident and did not survive. Mildred was in the car as well and lost sight in her right eye. After Richard?s death, Mildred lived most of her life in the ?spotlight?. She constantly had to deny requests for interviews. "What happened, we really didn't intend for it to happen," said Mildred in one of her interviews. "What we wanted, we wanted to come home." Mildred passed away from pneumonia at 68 years old on May 2, 2001. Because of the legacy that they left there is an unofficial holiday called Loving Day and it takes place every year on June 12. Mildred and Richard will forever be remembered as the captivating couple that changed every state?s constitution. Because of the bravery and determination that they showed, restrictions on interracial marriage is a thing of the past. (Loving v. Virginia,