Courts may not enforce racial covenants on real estate. Decided May 3, 1948 (argued January 14, 1948). Opinion of the Court: Fred M. Vinson → go there Applied: the Fourteenth Amendment → go there Topic: Discrimination based on race and ethnicity. Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U.S. 1 (1948), is a landmark United States Supreme Court case that held that racially restrictive housing covenants cannot legally be enforced. Wiki link