Yick Wo v. Hopkins Case Brief
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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis
tl;dr: A San Francisco ordinance regulating laundries was facially neutral but enforced exclusively against Chinese operators. The Supreme Court held this discriminatory application violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, establishing that a law’s administration, not just its text, can be unconstitutional.
Legal Significance: This landmark case established that a facially neutral law, if administered with “an evil eye and an unequal hand” to discriminate against a particular group, violates the Equal Protection Clause. It created the legal basis for “as-applied” constitutional challenges.
Yick Wo v. Hopkins Law School Study Guide
Use this case brief structure for your own legal analysis. Focus on the IRAC methodology to excel in law school exams and cold calls.
Case Facts & Court Holding
Key Facts & Case Background
The city of San Francisco enacted ordinances requiring operators of laundries in wooden buildings to obtain a permit from the Board of Supervisors. The ordinances were facially neutral, providing no standards to guide the Board’s discretion in granting or denying permits. Yick Wo, a Chinese national, had operated a laundry in a wooden building for 22 years and possessed certifications from fire and health officials attesting to its safety. The Board of Supervisors denied his permit application. Evidence showed that the Board denied permits to all 200 Chinese applicants while granting permits to 80 non-Chinese applicants, with only one exception. Yick Wo was subsequently imprisoned for continuing to operate his business without a permit. He filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, arguing that the discriminatory enforcement of the ordinance violated his rights under the Fourteenth Amendment.
Court Holding & Legal Precedent
Issue: Does the enforcement of a facially neutral municipal ordinance in a manner that results in systematic discrimination against a specific racial or national group violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?
Yes. The Court held that the discriminatory administration of the ordinance violated Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercita
IRAC Legal Analysis
About IRAC analysis
IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion) is the structure professors expect in exam answers. Each LSD.Law brief states the issue, the governing rule with citations, the court's application of that rule, and the conclusion - the same reasoning pattern you will use on exams and in practice.
Legal Issue
Does the enforcement of a facially neutral municipal ordinance in a manner that results in systematic discrimination against a specific racial or national group violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?
Conclusion
Yick Wo v. Hopkins is a foundational Equal Protection case that established Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit es
Legal Rule
Though a law itself be fair on its face and impartial in Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pa
Legal Analysis
The Supreme Court's analysis centered on the principle that the Equal Protection Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex e
Flash-to-Full Case Opinions
Flash Summary
- A facially neutral law violates the Equal Protection Clause if it