Slaughterhouse Cases

Definition

A group of U.S. Supreme Court cases in 1873 that limited the protection of the privileges or immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S Constitution.

Analogy

Think about having an all-access pass at a music festival but being told you can only use it for certain stages and not others. The Slaughterhouse Cases similarly restricted what rights were protected under the Fourteenth Amendment's privileges or immunities clause.

Related terms

Fourteenth Amendment: An amendment to the U.S Constitution granting citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States," including former slaves recently freed.

Dred Scott Decision: A controversial ruling made by the Supreme Court prior to abolition, stating that African Americans were not citizens and therefore could not petition courts.

Civil Rights Cases (1883): These cases held that Congress could only regulate state action and not private discrimination under the Fourteenth Amendment.