Ep 9,The Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States: Congress can regulate the renting of a room because it affects interstate commerce.

The Launch Pad Media

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, in addition to requiring all government entities to end segregation or disparate treatment based on race, also required private entities, even local ones, to do the same. This federal statute was based on congressional authority over interstate commerce. The racist and pro-segregation owner of the motel, who was also an attorney and argued the case on his own behalf, disputed this authority. The Heart of Atlanta Motel refused to accommodate black folks and sued to overturn the act as it applied to private, intrastate businesses.

In this landmark civil rights case, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld congressional authority over a purely local transaction under the Commerce Clause. While it was the correct moral result (denying someone service because they are black is immoral) its constitutional authority was legitimately questioned. Remember, whether or not something is moral or immoral, a good idea or a bad idea, or is fair or unfair, are all separate questions from whether or not it is constitutionally authorized.