Webber v. Virginia was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. The case involved a black man, William Webber, who was convicted of larceny in the state of Virginia. Webber argued that he was denied a fair trial because the jury was composed entirely of white people. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Webber, finding that the exclusion of black people from the jury violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court held that the state of Virginia had violated Webber's right to a fair trial by excluding black people from the jury. The Court also held that the exclusion of black people from the jury was a form of racial discrimination and was unconstitutional. The ruling in Webber v. Virginia was an important step in the fight against racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. The Court's decision established that the exclusion of black people from juries was unconstitutional and that states must ensure that all citizens, regardless of race, have the right to a fair trial.

In Webber v. Virginia, the United States Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a state statute that prohibited African Americans from attending public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The majority opinion held that it did not violate any constitutional rights and upheld the law in question, but Justice Field dissented on this ruling. He argued that while states have broad authority to regulate their own educational systems, they cannot do so in such a way as to deny individuals equal protection under the law or deprive them of fundamental rights without due process of law - both violations he believed were present here given Virginia's racial segregation laws for its school system. Furthermore, he noted how these laws had been used historically by Southern states as tools for subjugation and discrimination against African Americans rather than legitimate means of regulation; thus denying them access to education denied them an opportunity at social advancement and economic success which could only be remedied through federal intervention via Congress' power over interstate commerce or other appropriate legislation