Heart of Atlanta Motel owner files constitutional challenge to Civil Rights Act hours after Lyndon Johnson signs it

Moreton Rolleston Jr., owner of the 216-room Heart of Atlanta Motel that primarily served interstate travelers, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia within hours of President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964. Rolleston argued that Title II's public accommodations mandate exceeded Congress's Commerce Clause power, violated the 5th Amendment by taking his property without compensation, and violated the 13th Amendment by imposing involuntary servitude on motel owners. The Justice Department, represented by Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Solicitor General Archibald Cox, immediately filed to uphold the law.