Race and Rights, 1920-2000

53 Pages Posted: 21 Nov 2003

Date Written: December 2003

Abstract

This essay, which is a contribution to the Cambridge History of Law in America, Volume 3 (1920-2000), summarizes the Supreme Court's racial jurisprudence from 1920 to the present. The essay's primary interpretive focus is on situating the Court's decisions in the social and political context of the times and on evaluating the consequences - direct and indirect - of the rulings. The essay concludes by deriving some general lessons from this history: the extent to which the Supreme Court systematically favors the interests of racial minorities, the circumstances under which Court rulings are likely to prove efficacious, and the extent to which such decisions are likely to deviate from popular opinion.

Suggested Citation

Klarman, Michael J., Race and Rights, 1920-2000 (December 2003). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=444260 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.444260

Michael J. Klarman (Contact Author)

Harvard University ( email )

1875 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
282
Abstract Views
2,941
Rank
197,179
PlumX Metrics