Slaughter-House Cases (1873)

1) Link to the Actual Opinion
Read the U.S. Reports opinion (PDF)

2) Summary of the Opinion
Louisiana created a state-licensed slaughterhouse monopoly to regulate butchers. Independent butchers argued it violated the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court upheld the monopoly and gave the Clause a very narrow interpretation, limiting it to rights of national citizenship, not state-level rights.

3) Why It Mattered
This was the Court’s first major interpretation of the 14th Amendment. It essentially gutted the Privileges or Immunities Clause, forcing later civil rights arguments to rely on Due Process and Equal Protection instead.

United States v. Cruikshank (1876)

1) Link to the Actual Opinion
Read the U.S. Reports opinion (PDF)

2) Summary of the Opinion
After the Colfax Massacre in Louisiana, federal charges were brought against white men who killed dozens of Black citizens. The Supreme Court overturned the convictions, holding that the Bill of Rights did not apply to the states and that the 14th Amendment only restricted state governments, not private individuals.

Civil Rights Cases (1883)

1) Link to the Actual Opinion
Read the U.S. Reports opinion (PDF)

2) Summary of the Opinion
The Supreme Court struck down provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which had outlawed racial discrimination in public accommodations like inns, theaters, and public transport. The Court held that the 14th Amendment only restricts state action, not discrimination by private individuals or businesses.

3) Why It Mattered
This ruling gutted Reconstruction-era civil rights protections and allowed Jim Crow segregation to flourish unchecked for decades.