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Smith v. Allwright, 321 U.S. 649 (1944), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court with regard to voting rights and, by extension, racial desegregation. It overturned the Texas state law that authorized parties to set their internal rules, including the use of white primaries.
In 1923, the Texas Democratic Party required all voters in its primary to be white based on a state law authorizing the party to establish its own internal rules. Lonnie E. Smith, a black voter in Harris County, Texas, sued county election official S. S. Allwright for the right to vote in the primary.
Nov 28, 2018 · Case Summary of Smith v. Allwright: The Democratic Party in the State of Texas only allowed white people to vote in Democratic primaries. Smith, a black Texas voter, sued the county election official, Allwright, for damages of $5,000 for denying him the right to vote in the Democratic primary.
Smith v. Allwright, 321 U.S. 649 (1944) Argued: January 12, 1944. Decided: April 3, 1944. Annotation. Primary Holding. States must make voting in their primary elections equally accessible to voters of all races, even if they do not manage the election process themselves. Syllabus. U.S. Supreme Court. Smith v. Allwright, 321 U.S. 649 (1944)
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund challenged the Texas Democratic Party's policy of excluding Blacks from primary elections in 1943. The Supreme Court ruled that this violated the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and overturned the white primary system in the South.
SMITH v. ALLWRIGHT, Election Judge, et al. Supreme Court. 321 U.S. 649. 64 S.Ct. 757. 88 L.Ed. 987. SMITH. v. ALLWRIGHT, Election Judge, et al. No. 51. Reargued Jan. 12, 1944. Decided April 3, 1944. As Amended June 12, 1944. Rehearing Denied May 8, 1944. See 322 U.S. 769, 64 S.Ct. 1052.
SMITH v. ALLWRIGHT, ELECTION JUDGE, et al. is a case that was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States on April 3, 1944. The case was argued before the court on November 10, 1943. In a 8-1 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the ruling of the lower court. The case originated from the Texas Southern U.S. District Court. [1]
