Which case used the Commerce Clause to uphold the Civil Rights Act's prohibition of private racial discrimination in public accommodations?

• A. Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
• B. Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964)
• C. Brown v. Board of Education II (1955)
• D. Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is how far Congress can reach private conduct through the Commerce Clause to enforce civil rights in areas like public accommodations. Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States is the case that shows this power in action: the Supreme Court upheld the Civil Rights Act’s ban on private racial discrimination in places like hotels and motels by grounding the ruling in the Commerce Clause. The motel catered to interstate travelers and relied on customers from out of state, so Congress could argue that private discrimination in such establishments affects interstate commerce. The Court agreed, saying that discrimination by private businesses in a sector that serves the traveling public can impede the flow of interstate commerce, and therefore falls within Congress’s power to regulate under the Commerce Clause. This ruling affirmed that the Civil Rights Act’s prohibition on private discrimination in public accommodations is constitutional.

The other cases don’t fit this question because they address different constitutional provisions or issues. Brown v. Board of Education and Brown v. Board of Education II center on equal protection and desegregation in public schools, not the Commerce Clause or private discrimination in private/public accommodations. Mapp v. Ohio deals with the exclusionary rule and criminal procedure, not civil rights in public facilities or commerce.