MONROE, La. (KNOE) – On June 12, 1967 the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling that would strike down any ban on interracial marriage. The case was Loving v. Virginia, and the subject was Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act.

Two Virginia residents, Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter, were married in Washington, D.C. in June of 1958 where there was no ban. Richard was white, Mildred was black. They returned to their home state of Virginia and established a home in Caroline County.

That October, a grand jury issued an indictment on the Lovings charging them with violating the Virginia Racial Integrity Act. The couple pleaded guilty and were sentenced to a year in prison. The trial judge suspended their sentence on the condition the Lovings leave Virginia and not return together for 25 years.

Mr. and Mrs. Loving moved to the District of Columbia. On November 6, 1963, they filed a motion in state court saying the judgement had violated their rights under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. When no decision had been made by October, 1964, they started a class action suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

When the state trial judge refused to throw out their sentences, they continued their appeals until it reached the United States Supreme Court.

On June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court handed down the ruling that the Lovings’ convictions must be reversed. Their unanimous decision included this opinion:

“These statutes also deprive the Lovings of liberty without due process of law in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men.”

“The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discriminations. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the State.”

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(NewsNation) – A Maryland dairy has recalled all of its requesón/soft ricotta cheese after federal health officials linked the product to a Listeria outbreak that has killed one person and hospitalized eight others across three states. An FDA investigation is ongoing.

Clover Hill Dairy, based in Mechanicsville, Maryland, issued a voluntary recall June 3 for all of the requeson and soft ricotta products it makes.

The recalled products were distributed to retailers in North Carolina, New York, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, DC. The FDA said the cheese may be sold under different brand names, so consumers should check the manufacturer permit number on the package. Look for “24-128” to identify a Clover Hill product.

Nine people have been infected with the same strain of Listeria across Maryland, New York and Virginia, with illness onset dates spanning March 2023 through May 2026, according to the FDA investigation. One person in Maryland has died.

An investigation into the outbreak revealed that two of seven people interviewed by the FDA specifically reported eating requesón from Clover Hill Dairy.

That investigation began after two people from the same family in New York fell ill in May. Both had bought requesón from a local retailer, and lab testing confirmed the Listeria strain in the cheese matched the strain making people sick.

Further testing traced the cheese back to Clover Hill Dairy, and an unopened 18-pound bucket of the company’s requeson also tested positive.

The Maryland Department of Health has suspended Clover Hill Dairy’s operating license. The FDA said its investigation is ongoing and additional products may be recalled.

Anyone who has the cheese at home should throw it away and thoroughly clean and sanitize any surfaces it touched. Listeria can survive in the refrigerator and spread to other foods.

People at highest risk of severe illness include pregnant women, adults 65 and older, and those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms can appear anywhere from the same day to 10 weeks after eating contaminated food and may include fever, muscle aches, nausea, headache and stiff neck. Those experiencing symptoms should contact a healthcare provider.