Race and the Law

In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of state laws requiring racial segregation in public facilities, as long as the facilities were "separate but equal."

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 aimed to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment, public accommodations, and government programs.

Disparate impact theory asserts that laws or policies that have a disproportionately negative effect on a particular group, even if they are not explicitly discriminatory, can still be considered discriminatory.

Strict scrutiny is a legal standard of review used by courts to determine the constitutionality of laws that affect suspect classes, such as racial minorities, or fundamental rights.

In the 1967 case of Loving v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional, striking down the remaining state laws that banned such marriages.

Affirmative action is a policy or program that aims to correct or compensate for past discrimination and promote equal opportunity by giving preferential treatment to members of underrepresented groups.

Remedial justice is a legal theory that advocates for government action to address and rectify the effects of past discrimination, often through policies such as affirmative action.

Intermediate scrutiny is a legal standard of review used by courts to determine the constitutionality of laws that affect quasi-suspect classes, such as gender or illegitimacy, or fundamental rights that are not considered to be as important as those protected by strict scrutiny.

In the 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson.

Rational basis review is a legal standard of review used by courts to determine the constitutionality of laws that affect non-suspect classes, such as economic status or age, or fundamental rights that are not considered to be as important as those protected by strict scrutiny or intermediate scrutiny.

Disparate impact theory asserts that laws or policies that have a disproportionately negative effect on a particular group, even if they are not explicitly discriminatory, can still be considered discriminatory.

Strict scrutiny is a legal standard of review used by courts to determine the constitutionality of laws that affect suspect classes, such as racial minorities, or fundamental rights.

Affirmative action is a policy or program that aims to correct or compensate for past discrimination and promote equal opportunity by giving preferential treatment to members of underrepresented groups.

Equal protection is a legal principle that prohibits the government from discriminating against individuals based on their race, color, or national origin.

In the 2015 case of Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry, striking down state laws that prohibited such marriages.