Slide 1OverviewCivil RightsCivil RightsCivil RightsEqual ProtectionEqual ProtectionEqual ProtectionEqual ProtectionEqual ProtectionEqual ProtectionEqual ProtectionEqual ProtectionEqual ProtectionEqual FacilitiesEqual FacilitiesEqual Political RightsEqual Political RightsEqual Political RightsChallengesChallengesChallengesChallengesPOLS 206: American National GovernmentMegan K. Dyer October 2, 2014Today1. Defining civil rights2. Equal protection•Standards of review•Suspect classifications3. Civil Rights•Equal facilities•Political rights•Challenges•Discuss examOverviewThe majority v. minority problem•Majority rule•Minority rights?Civil liberties:•Majority often defines interpretationCivil rights:•Majority might deny minority equal protectionCivil RightsDifference?Civil liberties:•Gov’t not allowed to actCivil rights:•Gov’t action possibly required to ensure equality under lawCivil RightsCivil RightsPolicies that:•Guarantee each person is treated as an equal under law•Protect people against arbitrary & discriminatory treatment “Freedom to”•e.g. the right to voteCivil Rights14th Amendment - Equal Protection Clause“nor shall any State…. deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”•Principal legal tool for civil rights struggles•Equal protection can be violated by discriminatory lawsEqual ProtectionClassification & laws•For things?•For people?•e.g. drinking age•e.g. tax statusEqual ProtectionWhen are discriminatory classifications are illegal?How do courts determine if one:•is permissible?•violates equal protection?Equal ProtectionCourts treat different classifications differently!3 standards of legal review:1. Rational basis2. Intermediate scrutiny3. Strict scrutinyEqual ProtectionStandards of Review •What level of judicial scrutiny does it get?•Specify requirements for:1. Gov’t’s purpose in creating the law2. The relationship of the classification to purposeEqual Protection1. Rational basis•Easiest to prove legality•Classification must:1. have a rational relationship 2. to a legitimate gov’t goal•e.g.: age, wealthEqual Protection2. Intermediate scrutiny•Moderately difficult to prove legality•Classification must:1. have a substantial relationship 2. to an important gov’t goal•e.g.: gender•Note: ERAEqual Protection3. Strict scrutiny•Very difficult to prove legality•Classification must be:1. necessary to accomplish 2. a compelling gov’t purpose •+ least restrictive way to do it•e.g.: all suspect classificationsEqual ProtectionSuspect classificationsWhat makes a classification ‘suspect’?1. History2. Visible yet ‘irrelevant’ trait3. Powerless to protect themselves via political process•i.e. a minority•What qualifies?•Legal presumption?Equal ProtectionWhat does equal protection require?•Jim Crow lawsPlessy v. Ferguson (1896)•“separate but equal”Brown v. Board of Education (1954)•“separate but equal… is inherently unequal”Equal FacilitiesEqual facilities & accessCivil Rights Act (1964)•Made discrimination in public places illegal•Forbade many kinds of job discrimination•Federal gov’t power to enforce•Aside: Commerce clauseEqual FacilitiesEqual political rightsVoting Rights•National electorate undefined in Constitution•Left to the states!Equal Political RightsRestricting suffrage•Poll taxes•Literacy tests •Etc.Equal Political Rights24th AmendmentVoting Rights Act (1965)•Abolished informal & formal race-based barriers to voting•Abolished literacy tests•‘Pre-clearance’•Aside: Shelby County v. Holder (2013)Equal Political RightsDeeper issues in equal protection•Embedded issues of equality?•Social•Economic•Cultural•De jure v. de facto discriminationChallengesDe facto discrimination•e.g.•School district boundaries•Parental leave policies•Hard. Remedies controversial.ChallengesEquality: A moving target?Intractable problems:•Visible in-groups & out-groups•Inductive judgments•How far can (or should) gov’t go in providing remedies?ChallengesProtecting and/or promoting equality?•Is legal protection effective?•e.g. Plessy v. Ferguson (1986)•e.g. Korematsu v. U.S. (1944)•The ‘majority problem’•Courts as counter-majoritarian