Yick Wo v. Hopkins 1886
By Heba Bader and Felix Samiee
Video
Hearing
Background Info
- San Francisco: You cannot hold a laundry business in a building made with anything other than brick or stone without a permit
- Lee Yick's building was made of wood
- Police Hopkins did not give him a permit so he asked him to shut down but lee refused.
- Brought the problem to the Supreme Court of California but he lost
- Brought it to the Supreme Court of the United States and won.
Justice who Presented the Case
Majority/Minority Decisions
- Justice Stanley Matthews, was a lawyer, senator, and Supreme Court Justice
- He was an activist for equal protection rights and all racial minorities
- The 1st Chinese immigrants came during the California Gold Rush, they were immediately put to dangerous work
- Because of the Alien Naturalization Act of 1890 only whites were allowed to become citizens
- Everyone "shall enjoy the same privileges"
- The law needs to be sound in theory and fair in practice
Unanimous decision that the court was getting away with discrimination
Compliant
- Yick Wo filed a complaint to the Supreme Court
- Yick Wo's complaint said that the denial of his license to keep his business open was violating the 14th Amendment,
How this Case Influenced our History in dealing with Civil Rights
Sources
Photos
- https://www.oyez.org/cases/1850-1900/118us356
- https://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/constitutional-law/constitutional-law-keyed-to-brest/race-and-the-equal-protection-clause/yick-wo-v-hopkins/
- https://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/constitutional-law/constitutional-law-keyed-to-brest/race-and-the-equal-protection-clause/yick-wo-v-hopkins/
- http://landmarkcases.c-span.org/Case/18/Yick-Wo-v-Hopkins
- A people's history of the supreme court Peter Irons (book)
- Landmark supreme court cases Gary Hartman, Roy M Mersky, and Cindy L.Tate (book)
- The case opened doors for immigrants integration in American society
- The case also established a precedent for similar cases
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