Justice Dept Says Supreme Court Restrictive Covenant Ruling Applies to Religious Groups

The Department of Justice today interpreted yesterday’s Supreme Court decision rendering court enforcement of restrictive covenants based race or color illegal as applying also to religious groups. The Court’s decision rationed only private real estate agreements which barred groups on the basis of ?ce or color.

“It is the opinion of the Department of Justice that the rulings of the Supreme Court are applicable with equal force to similar agreements based on creed,” the department said. “It would now seem certain that no state through its courts can sup?rt or enforce private agreements which are designed to do what the state itself I prohibited from doing.”