Were slaves allowed to sue? One unique aspect of the Code Noir was the right of enslaved people to file a lawsuit if they believed they were wrongly enslaved. Missouri continued this practice after it became a U.S. state. Most Southern slave states did not permit enslaved people to file a lawsuit. St.Nov 2, 2023 https://www.nps.gov › articles › sla... Slavery and the Law (U.S. National Park Se….. How did the 14th Amendment not help slaves? Due to judicial and executive inaction, the amendment was not interpreted as anything more than a reiteration of the Thirteenth Amendment's declaration of emancipation for slaves, and it did not guarantee African Americans any civil rights as citizens of the United States. https://vtuhr.org › articles The Fourteenth Amendment and The African American Struggle for Civil ...