Strauder v. West Virginia

Strauder v. West Virginia was one of the first cases of the Supreme Court of the United States, which dealt with racial discrimination.

At the time of the decision, all blacks were excluded according to the law of West Virginia from participating in court proceedings as jurors. Strauder, a black man who had been for murder by a jury, which consisted only of whites, condemned, attacked the judgment on the grounds that the existing West Virginia regulation violates the principle of equality before the law after the 14th Amendment.

In the judgment written by William Strong of Black exclusion was declared as jurors solely because of their race is incompatible with the Constitution. The reason for the principle of equal treatment, it was " the black population concede all civil rights as those enjoyed by the whites and give them the protection of the state, if they are limited by the individual states in these rights. " However, the court did not realize that the exclusion of Black as jury members the right of potential jury members violated; rather, this exclusion violates black defendants, so as juries would be selected, " of which the state members of the population group of the accused has expressly excluded ".

Although the ruling was a victory for the rights of black defendants and important for the civil rights movement; However, it also stated explicitly that a selection is permissible by gender.