Michigan Supreme Court

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Michigan Supreme Court

• Territorial Times to the 1950s Decisions
  Affecting African Americans

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Territorial Cases
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Judge Woodward1807

• Denison v Tucker slaves returned to Tucker who
  was deemed to be lawful master of the Denisons
• In Matter of Richard Pattinson Woodward decided
  not to return fugitive slaves
• Two cases demonstrate conflict between what was
  viewed as the immorality of slavery and an
  obligation to and interpretation of the laws

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Voting

• Gordon v Farrar Supreme Court found that voting
  was exclusive to white males, 1844
• People v Dean Justices Campbell, Cooley and
  Christiancy defined white as less than ¼ African
  blood
• Hedgeman v Board of Registration Court held that
  free blacks were not citizens

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Education

• Workman v Detroit Board of Education, 1869
• Separate but Equal Doctrine dismissed
• Public school admission based on race ruled
  illegal
• 1871 William W. Ferguson first African American
  admitted to Detroit Public School system
• Legal victory without practical application,
  schools continued to be segregated

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Public Accommodations

• Day v Owen, 1858
• Ferguson v Gies, 1890
• Bolden v Grand Rapids Operating Corp, 1927

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Day v Owen, 1858

• Denied passage on a steamer from Detroit to
  Toledo
• Sued for damages
• Court ruled that ultimately the defendant had the
  right to decide who would ride on his steamer

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Ferguson v Gies, 1890

• Came after Civil Rights legislation, Act 130
• Counteracted ideology of Day v Owen
• In Michigan, there must be absolute,
  unconditional equality of White and Colored
  before the Law-Justice Morse
• Prominent African American representation

Justice Morse
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Bolden v Grand Rapids Operating Corp, 1927

• Gave African Americans right to sue for damages
  if discriminated against
• Michigans Civil Rights Statute was found to be
  constitutional exercise of the states police
  powers

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William W. Ferguson

• Prominent Detroit business owner of a printing
  company
• Became a lawyer in 1897
• First African American elected to Michigan
  Legislature

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D. Augustus Straker

• African-American lawyer from the Bahamas,
  represented Ferguson
• One of the first minorities to argue before the
  Michigan Supreme Court
• Included in 1900 time capsule that was recently
  opened

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Restrictive Covenants

• Most commonly, refusing housing based on racial
  restrictions
• Parmalee v Morris,1922 upheld racially
  restrictive covenants
• Sipes v McGhee, 1947 Led to a U.S. Supreme Court
  ruling that states could not enforce racially
  restrictive covenants

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Ramifications

• The Michigan Supreme Court made powerful
  decisions, promoting change or maintaining the
  status quo, and whether positive or negative the
  Court has an undeniable impact on our lives.

• The cases chosen represent medley of the Courts
  work
• Historically, the Court reflected the
  conservative beliefs of Midwestern Michigan
  society