S. E. Allwright, an election judge in Harris County, Texas, played a pivotal role in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Smith v. Allwright. As an election official, Allwright was responsible for enforcing the racially discriminatory practices of the Texas Democratic Party in primary elections.
In 1940, Allwright denied Lonnie E. Smith, a black dentist from Houston, the right to vote in the Democratic primary election solely based on Smith’s race. This action was by the Texas Democratic Party’s resolution from 1932, which stated that only white citizens of the state qualified to vote and were eligible to participate in the party’s deliberations. Allwright’s role in the case was primarily procedural, as he enforced existing rules rather than creating them. However, his position as the election judge made him the defendant in the lawsuit filed by Smith, which challenged the constitutionality of the “white primary” system.
The case against Allwright began in the lower courts, where Smith’s challenge was initially unsuccessful. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ruled against Smith in 1942, which was upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 19435. However, when the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, it resulted in a landmark 8-1 decision on April 3, 1944, that declared the white primary system unconstitutional. While Allwright’s name became associated with this historic case, it’s important to note that he was not personally responsible for creating the discriminatory rules. Rather, he was a representative of a broader system of racial exclusion in Texas politics at the time. The Supreme Court’s decision in Smith v. Allwright effectively ended the white primary in Texas and marked a significant victory for civil rights and voting equality