Which amendments were cited as limiting federal enforcement in the Civil Rights Cases and Cruikshank rulings?

• A. 13th and 14th Amendments.
• B. 15th and 19th Amendments.
• C. First and Second Amendments.
• D. None.

Answer: (A)

The limiting authority comes from the 13th and 14th Amendments. In Cruikshank, the Court stressed that the 14th Amendment protects rights against state action, not against private individuals, so federal enforcement to punish private acts of violence by individuals was not allowed under the amendment. The 13th Amendment’s power is limited to abolishing slavery and prohibiting its badges and incidents, not broadly policing private racial discrimination. In the Civil Rights Cases, the Court further held that the 14th Amendment prohibits state-sponsored discrimination but does not authorize Congress to regulate private acts of discrimination in public accommodations; the 13th Amendment likewise does not provide a sweeping mandate to police private discrimination. Together, these rulings rely on the 13th and 14th Amendments to define and limit federal enforcement in these contexts.