grandfather clause

American  

noun

1. U.S. History. a clause in the constitutions of some Southern states after 1890 intended to permit white people to vote while disfranchising Black people: it exempted from new literacy and property qualifications for voting those men entitled to vote before 1867 and their lineal descendants.

2. any legal provision that exempts a business, class of persons, etc., from a new government regulation that would affect prior rights and privileges.

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grandfather clause British  

noun

1. history a clause in the constitutions of several Southern states that waived electoral literacy requirements for lineal descendants of people voting before 1867, thus ensuring the franchise for illiterate White people: declared unconstitutional in 1915

2. a clause in legislation that forbids or regulates an activity so that those engaged in it are exempted from the ban

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Etymology

Origin of grandfather clause

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

But a grandfather clause allowed already-established stores to continue the practice.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 24, 2023

Arnold Schwarzenegger repealed the so-called grandfather clause on smog checks, which exempted cars older than 30 years.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2022

Man-Man and Jenny will see no immediate relief: SB 48 has no grandfather clause.

From Slate • Jun. 22, 2020

“There is no grandfather clause that permits states to enforce punishments the Constitution forbids.”

From Washington Post • Jan. 25, 2016

United States, that the "grandfather clause" in the constitutions of both Maryland and Oklahoma was null and void because it contradicted the Fifteenth Amendment.

From The Black Experience in America by Coombs, Norman