
The Lovings were charged under an anti-miscegenation law, which was a law that prohibited interracial marriage. The Lovings were an interracial couple who had established residence in Washington, D.C. and were seeking to overturn their convictions on the grounds that Sections 20-58 and 20-59 were inconsistent with the Fourteenth Amendment.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Law broken | Anti-miscegenation law |
| Related statute | Sections 20-58 and 20-59 |
| Sentence | One year in prison or leave the state for 25 years |
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What You'll Learn

The Lovings were charged under an anti-miscegenation law
In 1963, the Lovings filed suit in a Virginia state court, seeking to overturn their convictions on the grounds that Sections 20-58 and 20-59 were inconsistent with the Fourteenth Amendment. The state court rejected their challenge, but the case was accepted for review by Virginia's Supreme Court of Appeals, which upheld the constitutionality of the sections but voided the sentences.
The Lovings' case, known as Loving v. Virginia, became a landmark in the fight for civil rights. The Supreme Court's ruling in 1967 struck down anti-miscegenation laws across the United States, finally recognising the right of interracial couples to marry.
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They pleaded guilty
The Lovings pleaded guilty to breaking the anti-miscegenation law, which prohibited interracial marriage. They were given a choice between spending one year in prison or leaving the state of Virginia for 25 years. The Lovings chose to move to Washington, D.C., but soon found themselves wishing to return to Virginia. In 1964, five years after their conviction, Mrs. Loving contacted the ACLU via Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The Lovings filed suit in a Virginia state court, seeking to overturn their convictions on the grounds that Sections 20-58 and 20-59 were inconsistent with the Fourteenth Amendment. The state court rejected the Lovings’ challenge, but the case was accepted for review by Virginia’s Supreme Court of Appeals, which upheld the constitutionality of 20-58 and 20-59 but voided the sentences because the condition under which they were suspended was, in its view, “unreasonable.” The Lovings' case, Loving v. Virginia, became a landmark in the fight for civil rights and helped to pave the way for the legalisation of interracial marriage in the United States.
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They were given a choice between prison and leaving the state
The Lovings were charged under the anti-miscegenation law and a related statute. They were given a choice between spending a year in prison or leaving the state for 25 years. They chose the latter and moved to Washington, D.C. However, they soon found themselves wishing to return to Virginia. In 1964, five years after their conviction, Mrs Loving contacted the ACLU via Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The Lovings filed suit in a Virginia state court in November 1963, seeking to overturn their convictions on the grounds that Sections 20-58 and 20-59 were inconsistent with the Fourteenth Amendment. The state court rejected the Lovings' challenge, but the case was accepted for review by Virginia's Supreme Court of Appeals, which upheld the constitutionality of 20-58 and 20-59 but voided the sentences because the condition under which they were suspended was, in its view, "unreasonable".
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The Lovings filed suit in a Virginia state court
After the state court rejected the Lovings’ challenge, the case was accepted for review by Virginia’s Supreme Court of Appeals. The appeals court upheld the constitutionality of 20-58 and 20-59 but voided the sentences because the condition under which they were suspended was, in its view, “unreasonable”. The Lovings contacted the ACLU via Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and the case arose when the ACLU sought to vacate the judgment and set aside the sentence, while the Lovings also filed an action in federal court.
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The Lovings' challenge was rejected
The Lovings were charged under the anti-miscegenation law and a related statute. They pleaded guilty and were given the choice between spending a year in prison or leaving the state for 25 years. They chose the latter and moved to Washington, D.C. However, they soon wished to return to Virginia and in 1964, five years after their conviction, Mrs Loving contacted the ACLU via Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The Lovings filed a suit in a Virginia state court in November 1963, seeking to overturn their convictions on the grounds that Sections 20-58 and 20-59 were inconsistent with the Fourteenth Amendment. The state court rejected the Lovings' challenge, but the case was accepted for review by Virginia's Supreme Court of Appeals. The appeals court ruled that, despite the statutes' use of racial classifications to define the criminal offenses in question, neither statute violated the guarantee of equal protection of the laws because the penalties they imposed applied equally to both "white" and "coloured" persons.
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Frequently asked questions
The Lovings broke the anti-miscegenation law.
The Lovings were given a choice between spending one year in prison or leaving the state for the next 25 years.
The Lovings moved back to the District of Columbia but soon found themselves wishing to return to Virginia.
In 1964, five years after their conviction, Mrs Loving contacted the ACLU via Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The ACLU sought to vacate the judgment and set aside the sentence, while the Lovings also filed an action in federal court.











































