Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States

1. Application

1.1. 1. The study of the legislative record and prior cases had led the Court to conclude that Congress has power in this regard. Title II Civil Right Act 1964 specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of race in any place of public accommodation, which is defined to include motels and restaurants that substantially affect interstate commerce. Therefore, Congress has power to regulate interstate commerce, which includes the power to regulate local incidents of commerce that have substantial relation to the instate flow of goods, such as The Heart of Atlanta Model

1.2. 2. Congress has the power to remove local obstructions to interstate commerce

1.3. 3. Racial discrimination has a disruptive effect on interstate travel by discouraging the travel of African Americans

2. Conclusion

2.1. Justice Clark authored an unanimous decision that the Court the Congress can prevent the motel from discriminating on the basis of race under the Commerce Clause. In this case, Congress, in passing Title II of the 1964 Civil Right Act, can justify its power in exercising the Commerce Clause power. Justice Black, Goldberg, and Douglas concurred this decision and offered separate opinions.

3. Header/Case Citation

3.1. 379 U.S. 241 Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States (No. 515) Argued: October 5, 1964 Decided: December 14, 1964 231 F.Supp. 393, affirmed.

4. Issue

4.1. Whether the constitutionality of Civil Right Act of 1964 is a valid exercise of Congress's power under Commerce Clause.

5. Rule of Law

5.1. Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a valid exercise of Congress' power under the Commerce Clause as applied to a place of public accommodation serving interstate travelers.

6. Facts

6.1. 75% of the motel guests of The Heart of Atlanta Motel are transient interstate travelers.

6.2. The motel had previously followed a practice of discriminating against African American and alleged that it intended to continue to do so.