Articles

This morning I appeared on NPR’s On Point to discuss the Supreme Court’s decision in Schuette.  Taking the opposite view and debating me on the case was Columbia Law Professor Theodore Shaw.  You can listen to the podcast here. … ...

Justices Scalia and Thomas counted for two of the six votes in favor of Proposal 2’s constitutionality.  Unlike Justice Kennedy, however, Justice Scalia’s opinion — joined by Justice Thomas — would not save the political structure doctrine.  Scalia’s concurrence argues that Hunter and Seattle should be left on the ...

As I predicted last year, Justice Breyer voted to uphold Proposal 2.  With Justice Kagan’s recusal, that means the Court voted 6-2 in favor of the constitutionality of the Michigan Amendment. Despite the overwhelming support for the constitutionality of Proposal 2, the Justices differed greatly on their reasoning.  In this post, I discuss t ...

Last week I was in Washington, D.C. for the oral argument in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action.  This is the case that is challenging whether voters have the right to prohibit racial preferences by government.  In 1996, California voters becase the first to adopt such a ban when they passed Proposition 209, and since that time ...

May the voters of a state amend their state constitution to prohibit discrimination and preferences based upon race?  The Supreme Court will address that question.  Today, with Justice Kagan recusing herself, the Court granted certiorari in Schuette v. Michigan Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, another case concerning racial preferences. ...

That was fast!  After the Sixth Circuit’s horrendous decision striking down Michigan’s equal rights amendment two weeks ago, the Michigan Attorney General filed this certiorari petition yesterday to ask the Supreme Court to take up the case.  Kudos to the AG’s office for this ueber-quick response to an unjustifiable ruling. I ...

Last Friday I explained the Sixth Circuit’s embarrassing decision to strike down Michigan’s Proposal 2.  President of the National Association of Scholars (and longtime PLF friend) Peter Wood, has been assembling similar reactions to the Sixth Circuit’s decision.  For example, here is what Ward Connerly had to say: There is no ...

As we reported on Thursday, the Sixth Circuit declared Michigan’s Proposal 2 unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause.  The decision has been roundly condemned throughout the legal community.  For good reason.  The decision defies both logic and common sense by holding that Proposal 2 — a state constitutional amendment proh ...

The Sixth Circuit, sitting en banc, declared Proposal 2 unconstituional under the Equal Protection Clause today. Proposal 2 is Michigan’s landmark constitutional amendment that banned racial preferences and discrimination by state and local government. Think about that for a second — a constitutional amendment banning discrimination is ...