What constitutional principle did the Supreme Court use in the case of Loving v. Virginia?

In the case of Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court primarily invoked the principle of equal protection under the law. This landmark decision addressed and struck down laws prohibiting interracial marriage, ruling that such bans violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The court emphasized that state laws that discriminated based on race were unconstitutional, underpinning the necessity of equality among all citizens regardless of race in the pursuit of their personal relationships.

While the concepts of due process and the right to privacy were also significant in the context of marriage and personal freedoms, the direct ruling hinged on the equality aspect, making it clear that the law could not permit racial discrimination in marriage. This case was pivotal in the broader civil rights movement, cementing the notion that discriminatory laws could not stand against the equal protection provision. The separation of church and state was not a factor in this ruling, as the case focused on civil rights rather than religious freedoms.