Articles

Happy Birthday Marines!

November 10, 2011 | By RALPH KASARDA

In 1775, a committee of the Continental Congress met at Tun Tavern, in Philadelphia, to draft a resolution calling for the formation of two battalions of Marines. The mission of these Marines was to fight for independence at sea and on shore. The resolution was approved on November 10, 1775, and Samuel Nicholas was commissioned … ...

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Corboy v. Louie : Supreme Court asks U.S. Solicitor General to file brief

December 12, 2011 | By RALPH KASARDA

On Friday, December 9, 2011, the United States Supreme Court considered whether it should agree to accept certiorari in an important equal protection case from Hawaii.  The issue in Corboy v. Louie, is whether the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits a state or municipality from creating tax exemptions that are available o ...

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Victory for equality! Ninth Circuit rejects challenge to Prop 209

April 02, 2012 | By RALPH KASARDA

Today the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals released its decision in Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action v. Brown, and confirmed that the California Constitution guarantees equality under the law. In 1996, California voters adopted Proposition 209 – the California Civil Rights Initiative – which amended the California Constitution to pr ...

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Activists ask Ninth Circuit to reverse itself on Proposition 209

April 17, 2012 | By RALPH KASARDA

After being tossed out of court earlier this month, the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Immigrant Rights and Integration and to Fight for Equality by Any Means Necessary (BAMN) yesterday asked the Ninth Circuit to reverse itself and invalidate Proposition 209.  Proposition 209 (Article 1, Section 31 of the California Constitution), the vot ...

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PLF supports minority students against diversity-driven discrimination

April 20, 2012 | By RALPH KASARDA

The Pacific Legal Foundation filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court this week supporting African American students being used as pawns in the name of diversity.  The case is Student Does v. Lower Merion School District. After months of debate, parent protests, and charges of racism, the Lower Merion School District in Pennsylvania adopted a ...

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Coverage of PLF's Supreme Court brief in school redistricting case

April 26, 2012 | By RALPH KASARDA

The Mainline Media News published an excellent article regarding PLF’s amicus brief in the case Student Does v. Lower Merion School District. As the article explains, the Lower Merion School District in Pennsylvania targeted a neighborhood for redistricting because of its large concentration of African American students.  PLF filed its brief ...

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It's the discrimination, stupid

May 04, 2012 | By RALPH KASARDA

After the Lower Merion School District in Pennsylvania finished spending millions of dollars to modernize its two high schools, it decided to “equalize” student attendance.  District planners intended to force the same number of students to enroll at each school by redistricting the school assignment zones.  Parents and students were ...

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Corboy v. Louie and Hawaii's race-based property tax scheme

June 05, 2012 | By RALPH KASARDA

Briefing is now complete in the case Corboy v. Louie, a case that will hopefully result in the invalidation of a race-based property tax scheme in Hawaii.  The Supreme Court will decide on June 21st whether to review the Hawaii Supreme Court’s decision that tossed out a challenge to the discriminatory tax law.  PLF’s brief in … ...

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Milwaukee's guarantee of inequality

June 12, 2012 | By RALPH KASARDA

Last month the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin filed an important lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee over the City’s new public contracting program.  In short, the City’s program, spelled out in City Ordinance 370, violates the Equal Protection Clause by requiring contracting officials and prime contractors to discriminat ...