Boston College Law Review Volume 27 | Issue 5 Article 2 9-1-1986 The econdS Death of 42 U.S.C. Section 1985(3): The seU and Misuse of History in Statutory Interpretation Steven F. Shatz Follow this and additional works at: http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/bclr Part of the Fourteenth Amendment Commons Recommended Citation Steven F. Shatz, The Second Death of 42 U.S.C. Section 1985(3): The Use and Misuse of History in Statutory Interpretation, 27 B.C.L. Rev. 911 (1986), http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/bclr/vol27/iss5/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at Digital Commons @ Boston College Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Boston College Law Review by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Boston College Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. E SECO EA O 42 U.S.C. SECIO 8(: E USE A MISUSE O ISOY I SAUOY IEEAIO SEE SA* A p f htr rth vl f l In 171 n rrrd tn t prtt th n "f ntrtn fr th Sthrn rtn th nd Cnr ntd th Cvl ht At f 171 (nl nn th K Klx Kln At Stn f th K Klx Kln At prvdd rnl pnlt nd vl lblt fr npr "fr th prp f dprvn thr drtl r ndrtl n prn r l f prn f th l prttn f th l r f l prvl nd nt ndr th l " 2 Shrtl ftr th ntnt f th K Klx Kln At th Spr Crt brd n r f hh b 13 hd lrl dntld th ll hvnt f ntrtn? Stn rvvd fr nl tlv r In 13 th Spr Crt n United States v. rr hld nnt- I- Cprht 19 tn Cll Shl rfr f Unvrt f Sn rn Shl f ; A 19 Unvrt f Clfrn (rl I 199 rvrd Unvrt I ld l t nld rtfll th vr btntl rrh tn vn t n th prprtn f th rtl b th bnn 19 US rnfrtr n Uln v Untd Stt 35 US 3 (1955 (tn Yr rt C v Enr 5 US 35 39 (191 2 At f Aprl 171 h § 17 Stt 13 h vl npr prtn f § rnll dfd n 17 v Stt § 19(3 It ltr pprd USC § 7(3 nd fr hrt t USC § 195( Irrptv f t dftn t prtlr pnt n t t ll b rfrrd t thrht th rtl t prntl ppr USC § 195(3 h tn rd n fll If t r r prn n n Stt r rrtr npr r n d n th hh r n th pr f nthr fr th prp f dprvn thr drtl r ndrtl n prn r l f prn f th l prttn f th l r f l prvl nd nt ndr th l; r fr th prp f prvntn r hndrn th ntttd thrt f n Stt r rrtr fr vn r rn t ll prn thn h Stt r rrtr th l prttn f th l; r f t r r prn npr t prvnt b fr ntdtn r thrt n tzn h lfll nttld t vt fr vn h pprt r dv n ll nnr trd r n fvr f th ltn f n lfll lfd prn n ltr fr rdnt r rdnt r Mbr f Cnr f th Untd Stt; r t njr n tzn n prn r prprt n nt f h pprt r dv; n n f npr t frth n th tn f n r r prn nd thrn d r t b dn n t n frthrn f th bjt f h npr hrb nthr njrd n h prn r prprt r dprvd f hvn nd xrn n rht r prvl f tzn f th Untd Stt th prt njrd r dprvd hv n tn fr th rvr f d nd b h njr r dprvtn nt n n r r f th nprtr Id. 5 See Cvl ht C 19 US 3 (13; Untd Stt v Crhn 9 US 5 (17; Slhtr- C 3 US (1 Wll 3 (17 See generally Grn The Unhappy History of Civil Rights Legislation, 5 Mn E. 133 (195 " 1 US 9 (13 9 I I 91 BOSTON COLLEGE LAW REVIEW [l 7911 ttnl th rnl prtn f Stn (v Stt Stn 5519 n rnd tht ld hv ppld ll t th vl npr prvn f th tn hh r prntl dfd t USC Stn 195(3 Cnntl drn th dn r Stn 195(3 nvd nfrntl nd th Crt hd nl n n t ndr nd rjt f tn brht ndr th tn In 1971 n hndrd r ftr th ntnt f th K Klx Kln At nd n th nn d f th vl rht vnt th Spr Crt rrrtd Stn 195(3 b phldn f tn ndr th tn n Grffn v. Breckenridge.° h nd lf f th tn hvr n lnr thn th frt nnn n 1971 t bt th t tht t rvvd Stn 195(3 th Spr Crt n pttrn rnnt f t prdr n hndrd r rlr ddd r f hh rvrd r ltd n f th ll n f th vl rht vnt h bl f th dn drtll rtrtd th ppltn f Stn 193 th prnpl r- vvn prtn f th K Klx Kln At? In 193 n hndrd r ftr Harris nd bt tlv r ftr Griffin, th Spr Crt pprntl n dlt Stn 195(3 rtl bl n United Brotherhood of Carpenters v. Scotts In Harris, th Crt nvldtd Stn b ntrprtn t brdl nd thn fndn t nntttnl ntrt n Carpenters, th Crt pl vrtd Stn 195(3 b vn t n pprntl nrr ntrprttn hh th lr rt hv n ppld n n xdnl rtrtv fhn In Griffin, th Crt hd nldd tht th "l prttn f th l" nd "l prvl nd nt" ln f 195(3 d "l-bd n" n lnt f f tn ndr th tn In Carpenters, th Crt rfrrd t lltv htr fr t nln tht th nd Cnr prrl ntndd t dl th rll tvtd npr nd t thrfr hld tht nl rl nd prhp pltl l-bd n nt t thn Stn 195(3 9 An S Clln v rdn 31 US 51 1 (1951 °3 US (1971 Stn 1 f th K Klx Kln At th frrnnr f th prnt USC 193 Stn 193 prvd Evr prn h ndr lr f n ttt rdnn rltn t r f n Stt r rrtr r th trt f Clb bjt r t b bjtd n tzn f th Untd Stt r thr prn thn th jrdtn thrf t th dprvtn f n rht prvl r nt rd b th Cntttn nd l hll b lbl t th prt njrd n n tn t l t n t r thr prpr prdn fr rdr USC § 193 (19 On th n hnd th Crt plhd th rtrtn f Stn 193 b tttr ntrprttn S, .., dn v lr US 517 (19 (hldn tht thr n Stn 193 tn fr dnl f d pr hn th tt ffrd dt dntrtv r jdl rd fr th plntff l; rrtt v lr 51 US 57 (191 On th thr hnd th Crt plhd th rtrtn thrh vr lltrl dtrn h Crt hld tht Stn 193 ltd b vr prxtn dtrn (r jdt, nd lltrl tppl S Alln v MCrr 9 US 9 15 (19; Edln v rdn 15 US 51 7 (197 (Elvnth Andnt h Crt l ltd Stn 193 thrh th dvlpnt f n nd pn t dtrn S Ynr v rr 1 US 37 (1971 S l r Ant n l Ett v Mr 5 US 1 113-15 (191; Mr v S US 15 (1979; zz v Gd 3 US 3 (197 8 3 US 5 (193 9 /d t 3-3 h Crt l ttptd t bttr t ntrprttn f Stn 195(3 b dvrtn t th ppd prtl prbl tht ld rlt fr vn th ln f th Sptbr 19] USE AND MISUSE OF HISTORY 913 th Crt dd tht Cnrnl ntnt n b dtrnd° nd vn th nrl ndtrnt ntr f htrl vdn h dtrntn hld hv nvlvd rfl nl f th dt rn f htrl trl h Crt n Carpenters, hvr dd nt n n h n nl thr t d nl pn rfrn t th lltv htr f Stn 195(3 nd d n rfrn t ntprn ntrtn f th ttt r dd th Crt xn th ln lltv htr nd ntprn ntrtn f th ttt n lht f r nrl htrl trl nrnn th ntxt n hh th ttt pd A rlt th Crt ntrprtd th ttt n t rtl rpt h Crt vrtl tn f l-bd n th rl n nt pprtd b th htrl vdn n Cnrnl ntnt In ddtn th Crt flr t v nn t th dtntn d b Cnr btn "l prttn f th l" nd "l prv- l nd nt" dft th brd Cnrnl prp f prttn th d- rt pr fr tt b ntdrt fr vrthl dpt th Carpenters dn Stn 195(3 rn n th b nd th lr rt ntn t rtl th brht ndr t h nvtbl th Spr Crt ll n dl th Stn 195(3 nd hv n pprtnt t rrt t t nd n th tn thrd lf t t hv t ntndd fft rt I f th rtl ll tr th trt htr f Stn 195(3 fr t ntnt thrh th lr rt rrnt ttpt t ppl th Carpenters dn rt II ll d th Crt fld l-bd n nl nd ll nld bd n h fllr xntn f th htrl trl brn n lltv ntnt tht Cnr hd n ntnt t lt th ppltn f Stn 195(3 t n- pr drtd nt particular l nll rt III ll ffr n ltrntv ntrtn f th tn tht rndd n th dtntn Cnr ntndd btn "l prttn f th l" nd "l prvl nd nt" nd r ntnt th th htrl vdn f lltv ntnt 1 IE ISOY O SECIO 195(3 A The Passage of the Ku Klux Klan Act and the First Death of Section 1985(3) On Mrh 3 171 rdnt Grnt rpndd t rnd v f pltll nprd trrr hh pn th Sth b ndn n rnt t Cnr rtn dt lltn" v d ltr prnttv Shllbrr tn fll pl Id.