In Williams v. Louisiana, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a state law that prohibited African Americans from serving on juries was constitutional. The case arose when a man named John Williams was convicted of murder in Louisiana and appealed his conviction on the grounds that the jury that convicted him was composed entirely of white people. The Supreme Court held that the state law was unconstitutional because it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court reasoned that the law was based on race and that it denied African Americans the right to participate in the jury selection process. The Court also noted that the law was not necessary to ensure a fair trial and that it was not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling state interest. The Court concluded that the law violated the Equal Protection Clause and that it was unconstitutional. The Court also held that the conviction of John Williams must be reversed and that he must be given a new trial with a jury that was composed of a fair cross-section of the community.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in Williams v. Louisiana, arguing that the Fourteenth Amendment did not grant African Americans all of the rights and privileges enjoyed by white citizens. He argued that while it was true that African Americans were granted certain civil rights, such as voting and holding office, they were still subject to discrimination when it came to jury service. Justice Field believed this was a violation of their right to equal protection under the law because they could be excluded from juries solely on account of race or color without any other justification for exclusion. Furthermore, he argued that if states had been allowed to exclude African Americans from jury service then there would have been no guarantee against racial prejudice in criminal trials involving black defendants since only whites would serve on those juries. In conclusion, Justice Field asserted his belief that allowing states to exclude blacks from serving on juries violated their constitutional right to equal protection under the law and should therefore be struck down as unconstitutional.