Shelley v. Kraemer was a landmark United States Supreme Court case decided in 1948. The case centered around restrictive housing covenants, which were agreements among property owners to not sell or lease their property to certain individuals based on race. In this particular case, a Black family, the Shelleys, purchased a house in a white neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, in violation of a racially restrictive covenant.

The Supreme Court ruled that enforcement of restrictive housing covenants by state courts was unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision was a significant victory in the fight against housing discrimination and segregation, as it struck down the legal basis for racially exclusionary housing practices.

Shelley v. Kraemer played a crucial role in advancing civil rights and laying the foundation for later fair housing legislation in the United States. It was a key moment in the legal battle against segregation and discrimination in housing, and it remains an important case in Black history.