Palmore v. Sidoti (1983)
- Docket
- 82-1734
- Decided
- 1983-01-01
Summary
Question: Did the removal of the child from Linda Sidoti's custody violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment? Conclusion: In a unanimous decision, the Court held that while ethnic prejudices did exist in society, those private biases were not permissible considerations for the removal of an infant child from the custody of its mother. "Private biases may be outside the reach of the law, but the law cannot, directly or indirectly, give them effect." The Court thus held that the decision of the lower courts was an unconstitutional denial of rights under the Fourteenth Amendment.