Marriage License for Richard Perry Loving and Mildred Delores Jeter

This is a marriage license from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia authorizing the marriage of Richard Perry Loving and Mildred Delores Jeter, an interracial couple. The Lovings’ subsequent arrest and conviction for violating Virginia state laws against interracial marriage led to the landmark civil rights case Loving v. Virginia, in which the United States Supreme Court ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional. This copy of the Lovings’ marriage license was filed with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at Richmond during the Lovings’ civil suit against Virginia state and county officials who acted against them.