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Yick Wo v. Hopkins,
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES, May 10, 1886, Decided
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Overview: Petitioners, natives of China, operated laundry businesses. They complied with every requirement necessary to protect neighboring property from fire and took precautions against injury to the public health, yet were still found to have violated the city ordinances and were fined. After they were in default, they were imprisoned until the fines could be paid. Petitioners contended the ordinances were void as being in violation of U.S. Const. amend. XIV. Discrimination against Chinese laundry businesses specifically was admitted. The Court reversed and held that no reason for discrimination existed except hostility to the race and nationality to which petitioners belonged. The discrimination was, therefore, illegal, and the public administration that enforced it was a denial of the equal protection of the laws in violation of U.S. Const. amend. XIV. Thus, the imprisonment was also illegal. The discrimination against nationality was in violation of equal protection when petitioners met all other safety requirements to operate their laundry services.
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