Opinion · Supreme Court of the United States

Hurd v. Hodge

334 U.S. 24

Type
Opinion
Court
Supreme Court of the United States
Jurisdiction
Federal
Date
1948-05-03
Topic
general

How later courts describe this case

  • noting that public policy of the United States cannot manifest a lesser concern for the protection of basic rights than the individual states
  • declaring that “governmental action” was required in a suit based on the Civil Rights Act of 1866
  • following “the Supreme Court’s lead” in recognizing “some circumstances in which a court may refuse to enforce an arbitration award that is contrary to public policy”
  • judicial enforcement of restrictive covenants prohibited by § 1982; the statute is directed toward gov ernmental action
  • “State or Territory” includes the District of Columbia for purposes of § 1982 because the statute is based upon the thirteenth amendment and thus is not limited to state action
  • federal courts have a duty to determine whether a contract violates federal law before enforcing them
  • § 1982 “is directed [at] governmental action” and “does not invalidate private restrictive agreements”
  • Sec. 1982 "is directed [at] governmental action" and "does not invalidate private restrictive agreements"

Citator

UpLaw has not yet analyzed Hurd v. Hodge. The absence of a flag is not a finding that it is good law.

Authority status
pending
Cited by
333 opinions

Headnotes

  1. Civil Rights Law — Equal Protection Restrictive covenants in private conveyances of real estate that forbid rental, lease, sale, transfer, or conveyance of land to any Negro do not violate the Constitution standing alone; the constitutional prohibition is directed at governmental action, and private parties may achieve the purpose of such agreements through voluntary adherence to their terms. 334 U.S. 24, 31
  2. Civil Rights Law — Federal Statutes For purposes of R.S. § 1978, which guarantees all citizens of the United States the same right as white citizens to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey real and personal property, the District of Columbia is included within the phrase "every State and Territory." 334 U.S. at 31
  3. Civil Rights Law — Federal Statutes Judicial enforcement of racial restrictive covenants by the courts of the District of Columbia is governmental action prohibited by R.S. § 1978; where Negro purchasers are divested of their titles and white sellers are enjoined from conveying to Negroes, the courts deny those parties the same rights to purchase, hold, and convey real property enjoyed by white citizens. 334 U.S. at 30-34
  4. Civil Rights Law — Congressional Power Congress has the constitutional power to enact civil rights legislation guaranteeing equal property rights with reference to the District of Columbia. 334 U.S. at 31
  5. Federal Courts & Jurisdiction — Public Policy The power of the federal courts to enforce the terms of private agreements is at all times exercised subject to the restrictions and limitations of the public policy of the United States as manifested in the Constitution, treaties, federal statutes, and applicable legal precedents; where enforcement of a private agreement would violate that policy, courts must refrain from exercising judicial power. 334 U.S. at 34-35
  6. Remedies — Equitable Relief in Federal Courts Even absent a statute such as R.S. § 1978, it is not consistent with the public policy of the United States to permit federal courts in the Nation's capital to exercise general equitable powers to compel action denied the state courts by the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment; the public policy of the United States manifests no lesser concern for the protection of such basic rights against discriminatory action by federal courts than against such action by state courts. 334 U.S. at 34-36
  7. Constitutional Law — Judicial Review A court will not decide a constitutional question where other grounds are available and dispositive of the issues in the case. 334 U.S. at 30 n.6