In Carter et al. v. Jury Commission of Greene County et al., the U.S Supreme Court dealt with a case concerning racial discrimination in jury selection. The plaintiffs, African American residents of Greene County, Alabama, alleged that they were systematically excluded from serving on grand and petit juries by the county's jury commission due to their race. They argued this was a violation of their Fourteenth Amendment rights which guarantee equal protection under law regardless of race or color. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs stating that systematic exclusion based on race is unconstitutional as it violates both Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Clause under Fourteenth Amendment. However, it also held that mere disparity between proportionate representation and actual representation does not alone establish discriminatory intent; rather there must be evidence showing purposeful discrimination. This landmark ruling reinforced the principle against racial bias in legal proceedings ensuring fair trial for all citizens irrespective of their ethnicity or background.

In the dissenting opinion for Carter et al. v. Jury Commission of Greene County et al., Justice Harlan argued that the majority's decision to invalidate Alabama's jury-selection system was based on an erroneous interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause in relation to racial discrimination. He contended that there was no evidence presented showing intentional exclusion or systematic underrepresentation of African Americans from juries, which would be necessary to establish a violation of equal protection rights. Instead, he believed that any disparities were due to neutral factors such as literacy tests and voluntary exclusions rather than deliberate discriminatory practices by officials involved in jury selection processes. Therefore, according to Justice Harlan, without clear proof demonstrating purposeful racial bias in selecting jurors, it is inappropriate for courts to intervene and overturn state laws governing these procedures.