Heart of Atlanta/Pickrick trial
- Title:
- Heart of Atlanta/Pickrick trial
- Years:
- 1964
- Description:
- In 1964, two Atlanta business owners captured national attention when they refused to comply with the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Moreton Rolleston and Lester Maddox, owners of the Heart of Atlanta Motel and the Pickrick Restaurant respectively, sued to challenge the constitutionality of Section II of the Civil Rights Act, which barred segregation in all public accommodations on the basis that the practice inhibited the interstate movements of people and products. The cases were paired and tried before a three-judge circuit court in Atlanta, which upheld the law and ordered both men to admit black patrons within twenty days. Maddox's decision to close the Pickrick rather than submit to integration earned him the admiration many white Georgians, and paved his way to victory in the state's 1966 gubernatorial contest. Rolleston meanwhile appealed his decision to the Supreme Court (Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States), which unanimously upheld the lower court's decision.
- Archival Collections And Reference Resources:
-
12 items in 3 collections (expand all)
Opinion from George Willis, Jr., et al. vs. the Pickrick Restaurant and Lester Maddox
- Creator:
- United States. District Court (Georgia : Northern District : Atlanta Division)
- Date of Original:
- 1964
- Collection:
- Civil Case Files, 1938-1995, Records of the District Courts of the United States
- Contributing Institution:
- United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Atlanta Branch
The Pickrick Restaurant
- Date of Original:
- 1964
- Collection:
- Lester Maddox Photographs, 1934-2000, undated
- Contributing Institution:
- Atlanta History Center
The Pickrick Restaurant
- Date of Original:
- 1955
- Collection:
- Lester Maddox Photographs, 1934-2000, undated
- Contributing Institution:
- Atlanta History Center
The Pickrick Restaurant
- Date of Original:
- 1955
- Collection:
- Lester Maddox Photographs, 1934-2000, undated
- Contributing Institution:
- Atlanta History Center
The Pickrick Restaurant
- Date of Original:
- 1955
- Collection:
- Lester Maddox Photographs, 1934-2000, undated
- Contributing Institution:
- Atlanta History Center
The Pickrick Restaurant
- Date of Original:
- 1964
- Collection:
- Lester Maddox Photographs, 1934-2000, undated
- Contributing Institution:
- Atlanta History Center
The Pickrick Restaurant
- Date of Original:
- 1953
- Collection:
- Lester Maddox Photographs, 1934-2000, undated
- Contributing Institution:
- Atlanta History Center
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964)
- Creator:
- Coenen, Dan T.
- Date of Original:
- 2004-10-04
- Collection:
- New Georgia Encyclopedia
- Contributing Institution:
- New Georgia Encyclopedia (Project)