Shaare Tefila Congregation v. Cobb

Background

On November 2, 1982, the outside walls of the Shaare Tefila synagogue in Silver Spring, Maryland, were sprayed with red and black paint and large anti‑Semitic slogans and symbols. A few months later the synagogue and some of its members sued the people they said were responsible, claiming violations of federal civil‑rights statutes (including Section 1982) and Maryland tort law. The Federal District Court dismissed all claims on defendants’ motion, and the Court of Appeals affirmed that dismissal. The plaintiffs then asked the Supreme Court to review the case.

Reasoning

The Court focused on Section 1982, which guarantees all citizens the same rights as white citizens to own and hold property and forbids racially discriminatory interference with property. The Court said it is not enough to allege only that defendants acted from racial hatred; a plaintiff must also show the defendants’ animus was aimed at a group Congress intended to protect when it passed the law. The Court rejected the appeals court’s view that Jews cannot be protected because they are not a separate race today. Relying on earlier analysis in a companion case, the Court explained that Congress meant to protect groups defined by ancestry or ethnic characteristics, and legislative history shows Jews were among those considered distinct when the law was adopted.

Real world impact

The Court reversed the Court of Appeals and sent the case back for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. As a result, the synagogue and its members are not barred from pursuing a claim under Section 1982, and the decision clarifies that ancestry or ethnic groups can be covered by that statute. This ruling does not decide the final merits; it allows the lawsuit to continue in the lower courts.