Supreme Court ends white primaries in Smith v. Allwright

The Supreme Court rules in Smith v. Allwright on April 3, 1944, that Texas cannot let the Democratic Party exclude Black voters from primary elections. Because the Democratic primary effectively decides elections in Texas, the white primary denies Black voters meaningful political participation. The Court holds that primary elections are part of the state election system and must comply with the Fifteenth Amendment. The decision overturns earlier precedent that had allowed party-based racial exclusion. The ruling attacks one of the most powerful tools used to suppress Black voting in the Jim Crow South.