Royall v. Virginia was a United States Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of racial discrimination in the courtroom. The case was brought by a black man, John Royall, who was denied a jury trial in a Virginia court because of his race. Royall argued that the Virginia court's decision violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court agreed with Royall, ruling that the Virginia court's decision was unconstitutional. The Court held that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibited states from denying jury trials to individuals on the basis of race. The Court also held that the Virginia court's decision violated the Privileges and Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which protects citizens from being denied the same rights and privileges as other citizens. The Court's decision in Royall v. Virginia was a landmark ruling that established the principle that all citizens, regardless of race, are entitled to the same rights and privileges under the law. The decision was an important step in the fight for racial equality in the United States.

In Royall v. Virginia, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state statute that prohibited African Americans from entering into contracts with white people violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The majority opinion held that it did not violate any constitutional rights and thus upheld the law in question. Justice Harlan dissented, arguing that this law deprived African Americans of their right to equal protection under the law as guaranteed by both federal and state constitutions. He argued further that such laws were inherently discriminatory and should be struck down on those grounds alone without regard for any other considerations or arguments made by either side in this case. Furthermore, he noted how these types of laws had been used historically to oppress minority groups throughout American history and urged his colleagues on the court to take a stand against them now before they become entrenched even further within our society's legal framework.