, ▁the ▁law ▁itself ▁was ▁written ▁in ▁a ▁way ▁that ▁it ▁could ▁be ▁applied ▁to ▁everyone . ▁Williams ▁then ▁made ▁a ▁motion ▁for ▁the ▁case ▁to ▁be ▁taken ▁to ▁federal ▁court , ▁which ▁was ▁denied ; ▁he ▁made ▁another ▁motion ▁for ▁a ▁ret rial , ▁which ▁was ▁also ▁denied . ▁ ▁App e als ▁ ▁An ▁appeal ▁was ▁taken ▁by ▁the ▁Mississippi ▁Supreme ▁Court . ▁Williams ▁made ▁the ▁same ▁argument ▁that ▁the ▁j ury ▁that ▁conv icted ▁him ▁was ▁made ▁under ▁disc rimin atory ▁laws , ▁but ▁the ▁Mississippi ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁u ph eld ▁the ▁r uling ▁that ▁the ▁laws ▁themselves ▁were ▁not ▁disc rimin atory . ▁Williams ▁appe aled ▁to ▁the ▁U . S . ▁Supreme ▁Court , ▁which ▁took ▁the ▁case ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 8 , ▁with ▁the ▁argument ▁that ▁the ▁voting ▁laws ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 9 0 ▁Mississippi ▁Constitution ▁viol ated ▁the ▁Four teenth ▁Am end ment . ▁ ▁Dec ision ▁ ▁The ▁U . S . ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁un anim ously ▁rejected ▁Williams ' ▁cont ention ▁in ▁a ▁ 9 - 0 ▁vote , ▁r uling ▁that ▁he ▁had ▁not ▁shown ▁that ▁the ▁administration ▁of ▁the ▁Mississippi ▁suff rage ▁provision ▁was ▁disc rimin atory . ▁Justice ▁Joseph ▁McK en na ▁wrote ▁the ▁opinion , ▁stating , ▁“ The ▁constitution ▁of ▁Mississippi ▁and ▁its ▁stat utes ▁do ▁not ▁on ▁their ▁face ▁disc rim inate ▁between ▁the ▁races , ▁and ▁it ▁has ▁not ▁been ▁shown ▁that ▁their ▁actual ▁administration ▁was ▁evil ; ▁only ▁that ▁evil ▁was ▁possible