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Guinn v. U.S. (1915)

By Jessica McElrath, About.com

Facts: In order to vote in Oklahoma, a law required citizens to pass a literacy test. However, the law incorporated a “grandfather clause,” which essentially only applied to African Americans because it exempted those eligible to vote in 1866 and their descendants.

Decision: The court held that the "grandfather clause" was unconstitutional, but upheld the right of states to require literacy tests.

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