Today in History (TIH) Shelley v. Kramer, 1948

May 3, 1948, the Supreme Court announces its decision in Shelley v. Kramer.  This is a crucial victory for equal protection in this country.  Note that the Court does not outlaw private racially discriminatory real estate covenants, it only say that courts cannot enforce them.  There must be government action (or in some cases inaction) to violate the Fourteenth Amendment.  Court enforcement of such covenants would be state action in violation of equal protection. Government-enforced white supremacy takes another hit.