What is Loving v. Virginia and what fundamental principle did it establish?

• A. It upheld interracial marriage bans.
• B. It allowed interracial marriage bans to stand.
• C. It struck down bans on interracial marriage as unconstitutional under equal protection and due process.
• D. It established a state-issued federal marriage license.

Answer: (C)

The essential point here is that marriage is a fundamental liberty protected by the Constitution, and state laws cannot deny that right based on race. In Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court held that bans on interracial marriage are unconstitutional because they punish individuals for whom they choose to marry, a decision protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. At the same time, treating people differently solely because of race violates the Equal Protection Clause, and laws tied to racial classifications must pass strict scrutiny, which such bans cannot meet. This ruling struck down anti-miscegenation statutes across the United States, reinforcing that the right to marry cannot be denied on the basis of race. It did not create a federal marriage license; it invalidated state laws restricting whom people may marry.