Which case invalidated laws banning interracial marriage nationwide?

• A. Loving v. Virginia (1967)
• B. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
• C. Crawford v. Washington (2004)
• D. Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964)

Answer: (B)

The key idea is recognizing marriage as a fundamental liberty protected against discriminatory state laws. In Loving v. Virginia (1967), the Supreme Court invalidated state anti-miscegenation laws across the country, ruling that they violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantees of due process and equal protection. The Court held that the right to marry is a basic freedom essential to individual autonomy, and laws banning interracial marriage have no valid justification and are rooted in racial discrimination.

To see why this is the correct focus: Plessy v. Ferguson upheld racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine, not the right to marry; Crawford v. Washington concerns the admissibility of evidence and the confrontation clause; Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States deals with discriminatory practices in public accommodations under the Civil Rights Act. None of those address the nationwide invalidation of interracial-marriage bans the way Loving does.