Shelley v. Kraemer

Shelley v. Kraemer (1948) was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case addressing racial segregation in housing. The Court ruled that while private property owners could create racially restrictive covenants (rules preventing the sale of property to people of certain races), these covenants could not be enforced by the state. The decision emphasized that government involvement in enforcing such discriminatory agreements violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This case marked a significant step toward dismantling systemic racism in housing and affirmed the principle that racial discrimination has no place in law.