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Quotation from Plessy v. Ferguson by Supreme Court of the United States
“There is no caste here. Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law. The humblest is the peer of the most powerful.”
Plessy v. Ferguson, Dissent of Justice Harlan (U.S. Reports text (Wikisource))
Justice Harlan, dissenting alone, states the principle that the Constitution recognizes no ranks among citizens in their civil rights.
Citation: "There is no caste here. Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law. The humblest is the peer of the most powerful." — Supreme Court of the United States, Plessy v. Ferguson, Dissent of Justice Harlan (U.S. Reports text (Wikisource)). (id plessy-v-ferguson-q4)
Portrait: Portrait of Henry Billings Brown, Frances Benjamin Johnston, Public domain.
