Articles

A mother’s fight to end discrimination and protect merit-based public education

March 06, 2024 | By BRITTANY HUNTER

A student’s race should not determine their access to public educational programs. The Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause specifically safeguards against this kind of discrimination. Yet, this is exactly what is happening in New York State’s Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP). Originally intended to help students prep ...

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Frederick Douglass’ colorblind Constitution

February 27, 2024 | By RAFA OLIVEIRA

In the infamous Dred Scott v. Sandford decision of 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that black slaves were never intended to be United States citizens. Chief Justice Roger Taney promptly denied Dred Scott his freedom from slavery in the 7-2 decision. Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri, owned by John Emerson in Missouri. In … ...

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Supreme Court should wipe Thomas Jefferson High School ruling ‘off the books,’ Justice Alito says in dissent

February 22, 2024 | By CHRIS KIESER

We received heartbreaking news this week when the Supreme Court denied our petition for a writ of certiorari in Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board. The case challenged the school board’s overhaul of admissions at Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology—one of the best public high schools in America—undertaken t ...

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SCOTUS will not hear PLF case on discrimination in K-12. What happens now?

February 22, 2024 | By STEVEN D. ANDERSON

Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will not hear our Thomas Jefferson High School case, a fight to determine whether public school students should be treated as individuals—on merit—or as members of racial groups. This is disappointing news for Pacific Legal Foundation and our clients, the Coalition for TJ: a group of ̷ ...

Articles

Zora Neale Hurston’s legacy of individual rights and equality

February 09, 2024 | By BRITTANY HUNTER

Zora Neale Hurston was a cultural icon of the Harlem Renaissance. Known for her prolific writing, especially her renowned novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston broke through racial barriers at a time when society was viewed primarily through a black or white lens. But Hurston’s artistic contributions to the countercultural zeitgeist of ...

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Discourse : Segregation By Any Other Name

February 08, 2024 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

School segregation has risen from the grave—disguised under a different name. An increasing number of school districts are offering “affinity classes” that cater to specific racial groups. Schools have long offered racially segregated options for electives such as African American history or mentorship programs. But the idea has begun ...

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The Wall Street Journal : The Doctor Is In, but the Patient Is Out of State

February 02, 2024 | By SHANNON MACDONALD

State emergency orders during the Covid pandemic made it possible for patients in one state to consult with doctors in another via telephone and internet. Those orders have now expired, however, and that flexibility has ended. With limited exceptions, doctors can practice medicine only in states where they are licensed and where their patients are ...

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New York’s cannabis licensing is driven by unlawful discrimination

January 30, 2024 | By DAVID HOFFA

New York recently legalized the sale of cannabis, and entrepreneurs looking to get in on the green rush are now free to submit license applications. But, because of their race, some applicants will find it harder than others to obtain a license. New York requires “priority licensing” to individuals on the basis of race and … ...

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Reason : Wonka Fights the Candy Cronies

January 23, 2024 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

The box-office hit Wonka is a wild flight of imagination, but within the glamor and fantasy lies a hard truth: The mighty often manipulate government power to shut out competitors, stifling innovation and individual rights. The regulatory barriers manipulated by Willy Wonka’s powerful rivals to stymie entrepreneurs are all too real. In the fi ...