Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States
U.S. Case LawLegal Definition of Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States
379 U.S. 241 (1964), upheld the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, thus giving federal law enforcement officials the power to prevent racial discrimination in the use of public facilities. An Atlanta motel had refused to rent rooms to blacks, claiming that the establishment was privately owned and operated only within the state, thus making it immune from federal statute. The government sued on the ground that the motel received out-of-state patrons (it was located near two interstate highways) and thus came under both the public accommodations section of the Civil Rights Act and the interstate commerce clause of the Constitution. In a unanimous vote, the Court sustained the government's position and enjoined the motel from discriminating on the basis of race.
Test Your Vocabulary
The Great British Vocabulary Quiz
-
- Named after Sir Robert Peel, what are British police called?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States