North Carolina v. Temple was a Supreme Court case that was decided in 1977. The case involved a North Carolina statute that prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21. The defendant, Temple, was a 19-year-old who was charged with purchasing beer from a store in violation of the statute. Temple argued that the statute was unconstitutional because it violated his right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court held that the statute was constitutional. The Court reasoned that the state had a legitimate interest in protecting the health and welfare of its citizens, and that the statute was rationally related to that interest. The Court also noted that the statute was not overly broad or arbitrary, and that it was not discriminatory against any particular class of people. In conclusion, the Supreme Court held that the North Carolina statute prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21 was constitutional. The Court found that the statute was rationally related to the state's legitimate interest in protecting the health and welfare of its citizens, and that it was not overly broad or discriminatory.

In the Supreme Court case of North Carolina v. Temple, Justice Black delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the state’s decision to deny an appeal for a new trial was unconstitutional. He argued that due process requires states to provide defendants with fair trials and appeals when they are convicted of crimes, and this had not been done in this case. He noted that although there were procedural errors made during the original trial, these errors did not necessarily mean that Temple was innocent or guilty; rather, it meant only that his right to a fair trial had been violated by the state. Furthermore, he stated that even if all other aspects of the original trial were correct and proper according to law, denying him an appeal still denied him his constitutional rights as guaranteed by both federal and state constitutions. As such, Justice Black concluded by arguing against North Carolina's decision on grounds of unconstitutionality.