Brown v. Louisiana

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Brown v. Louisiana

Argued December 6, 1965
Decided February 23, 1966


Full case name:	Brown, et al. v. City of Louisiana, et al.

Citations:	383 U.S. 131; 86 S. Ct. 719; 15 L. Ed. 2d 637; 1966 U.S. LEXIS 2845

Prior history:	Certiorari to the Supreme Court of Louisiana

Holding

States may only regulate the use of public facilities in a "reasonably nondiscriminatory manner, equally applicable to all." Maintaining separate library facilities clearly violated this principle.

Court membership

Chief Justice: Earl Warren
Associate Justices: Hugo Black, William O. Douglas, Tom C. Clark, John Marshall Harlan II, William J. Brennan, Potter Stewart, Byron White, Abe Fortas

Case opinions

Majority by: Fortas
Joined by: Warren, Douglas
Concurrence by: Brennan
Concurrence by: White
Dissent by: Black
Joined by: Clark, Harlan, Stewart

Laws applied

U.S. Const. amend. I

Brown v. Louisiana, 383 U.S. 131 (1966), was a United States Supreme Court case based on the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It held that protesters have a First and Fourteenth Amendment right to engage in a peaceful sit-in at a public library. Justice Fortas wrote the plurality opinion and was joined by Justice Douglas and Justice Warren. Justices Brennan and Byron White concurred. Justices Black, Clark, Harlan and Stewart dissented.

[edit] Background

The Audubon Regional library operated three branches and two bookmobiles. African-Americans were not allowed to enter any of the branch libraries. Bookmobiles were available to both races however segrated: a red one served only whites and a blue one served blacks. Brown was an African-American man who entered a library branch with four other African Americans and requested a book, The Story of the Negro. The librarian informed Brown that the book was not available, but that she would request it through the state library, and he could pick it up or have it mailed to him. After the conversation, the men sat down (making no noise or disturbance) and refused to leave. They were arrested "for not leaving a public building when asked to do so by an officer."