miscegenation
miscegenation (mi-sej-[schwa]-nay-sh[schwa]n). A marriage between persons of different races, formerly considered illegal in some jurisdictions. • In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court held that laws banning interracial marriages are unconstitutional. Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1, 87 S.Ct. 1817 (1967). But for years, such laws technically remained on the books in some states. The last remaining state-law ban on interracial marriages was a provision in the Alabama constitution. The Alabama legislature voted to repeal the ban, subject to a vote of the state’s citizens, in 1999; the repeal became effective in 2000. — Also termed mixed marriage; interracial marriage. [Cases: Criminal Law 45.45. C.J.S. Marriage § 8.]
