The Heart of Atlanta Motel decision primarily relied on which constitutional provision to regulate private discrimination in public accommodations?

• A. Free Exercise Clause
• B. Commerce Clause
• C. Equal Protection Clause
• D. Due Process Clause

Answer: (B)

This question focuses on Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause to regulate private discrimination in public accommodations. In Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, the Supreme Court held that Congress could prohibit racial discrimination by privately owned hotels and motels because such establishments serve interstate travelers and are part of the broader interstate commercial system. Discrimination by a business that serves people who are moving across state lines can impede the flow of interstate commerce, which is why Congress can regulate it under the Commerce Clause via the Civil Rights Act. The Free Exercise Clause concerns religious practice, the Equal Protection Clause mainly targets state action (not private discrimination in this context), and the Due Process Clause does not provide the basis for regulating private discrimination in public accommodations. So the Commerce Clause is the constitutional basis used.