Chapter 5
Which organization is the major lobby for seniors and actively works for the adoption and enforcement of laws that prohibit age discrimination in employment and public accommodations?
AARP FEEDBACK: The major lobbyist for seniors, AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons), with its claim to more than 40 million members, has been active in pushing for laws preventing age discrimination and making sure that they are vigorously implemented.
Which agency hears claims of discrimination brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act?
EEOC FEEDBACK: Claims of discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act are considered by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Which constitutional amendment guaranteed voting rights for African American men?
Fifteenth FEEDBACK: Three important constitutional amendments were adopted after the Civil War: the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed equal protection under the law, and the Fifteenth Amendment guaranteed voting rights for blacks.
In which case did the Supreme Court rule that race could be used in university admission policies, as long as it was a plus factor and not a quota?
Grutter v. Bollinger FEEDBACK: In the Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) case, the Court reaffirmed its decision in the Bakke case that race could be constitutionally considered as a plus factor in admissions decisions.
How did the Legal Defense Fund of the NAACP change its strategy in 1948?
It began to attack the "separate but equal" rule directly. FEEDBACK: Until the late 1940s, the Legal Defense Fund concentrated on winning small victories within the existing framework. But in 1948, it upgraded its approach by simultaneously filing suits in different federal districts and through each level of schooling, essentially taking on the "separate but equal" rule head-on.
What was the Supreme Court's response to the Civil Rights Act of 1875?
It declared the act unconstitutional because the Constitution protects only against acts of public discrimination, not private discrimination. FEEDBACK: The Court struck down the legislation on the grounds that the act sought to protect blacks against discrimination by private businesses, whereas the Fourteenth Amendment, according to the Court's interpretation, was intended to protect individuals from discrimination only against actions by public officials of state and local governments.
What is the significance of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act?
It expanded rights for legal recourse, especially in the realm of gender discrimination. FEEDBACK: In January 2009 the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act became the first bill that President Obama signed into law. The new law gave workers expanded rights to sue in cases, such as Ledbetter's, when an employee learns of discriminatory treatment well after it has started.
What was accomplished by the 2013 Fisher v. University of Texas case?
It reaffirmed that racial categories can be deployed to serve a compelling state interest. FEEDBACK: The Court's ruling that racial categories can be deployed to serve a compelling state interest put affirmative action on stronger ground. The Court reaffirmed its decision in Grutter in 2013 when it decided Fisher v. University of Texas, in which a white student challenged the use of race as one factor among many in the admissions decision. In a 7-1 decision, the Court sent the case back to the district court with instructions to apply "strict scrutiny" to the school's policy, as articulated in Grutter. In 2016, the court upheld the university's procedures.
The Black Lives Matter movement started in 2015 over which controversial issue?
Police misconduct against African Americans. FEEDBACK: The movement began in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting of a black man by a white police officer and spread across the nation as the media carried reports, photos, and videos of police violence against blacks in Chicago, South Carolina, Baltimore, New York, and other cities. African Americans had long asserted that they were often victims of "racial profiling" and more likely than whites to be harassed or arrested by the police.
Which important pre-1954 case addressed racial discrimination in housing and property ownership?
Shelley v. Kraemer FEEDBACK: The most important pre-1954 decision was probably Shelley v. Kraemer, in which the Court ruled against the widespread practice of restrictive covenants, whereby the seller of a home added a clause to the sales contract requiring the buyer to agree never to sell the home to any non-Caucasian, non-Christian, or any other unfair designation.
What is the significance of the 2007 case, Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1?
The Court has ruled that race cannot be a factor in assigning students to schools to achieve greater racial diversity; hence, one of the few strategies to promote racial integration has been eliminated. FEEDBACK: In 2007 the Court's ruling in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 limited school integration by ruling against the use of race in assigning students to school districts. This decision eliminated one of the few public strategies left to promote racial integration.
Which of the following cases decided definitely on the legality of Voter ID laws?
The issue has not been definitely decided. FEEDBACK: In the most important decision in 2013, the Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring that individuals produce proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote. The majority opinion argued that Arizona's new law was preempted by federal regulation that requires states to "accept and use" a simple registration form provided by the federal government. However, the issue remains controversial with courts deciding for and against these laws in several states.
What Supreme Court case first restricted the use of racial quotas in university admissions?
University of California v. Bakke FEEDBACK: In the Bakke case, the Court permitted universities to continue to take minority status into consideration, but severely limited the use of quotas to situations (1) in which previous discrimination had been shown, and (2) in which quotas were used more as a guideline for social diversity than as a mathematically defined ratio.
Segregation or discriminatory practices that occur even when there is no explicit legal enforcement, such as school segregation in much of the United States today, is called ____ segregation.
de facto FEEDBACK: De facto means, literally, "by fact." De facto segregation refers to segregation practices that occur even when there is no legal enforcement, such as school segregation in much of the United States today.
Southern government officials used gerrymandering to
dilute African American voting power through the drawing of district lines. FEEDBACK: White leaders in Mississippi (among others at various times) attempted to dilute the influence of the growing black vote by gerrymandering districts to ensure that no blacks would be elected to Congress.
Since the 1960s, rights for Latinos have been intertwined with debates about
immigration. FEEDBACK: For much of American history, legal immigrants were treated much the same as citizens. But growing immigration and mounting economic insecurity have undermined this sense of equality, attaching rights for Latinos to the immigration debate.
What level of scrutiny does the Supreme Court typically use in cases related to sex and gender discrimination?
intermediate scrutiny FEEDBACK: Courts generally apply intermediate scrutiny to laws that afford differential treatment to men and women or that discriminate against the inheritance and property rights of illegitimate children.
The "separate but equal" doctrine
permitted a system of segregated social facilities. FEEDBACK: In the infamous case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause was not violated by racial distinction as long as the facilities were equal, thus establishing the "separate but equal" rule that prevailed through the mid-twentieth century.
In 2013 the Supreme Court struck down which part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act?
preclearance FEEDBACK: The 1965 Voting Rights Act required some state and local governments to obtain federal preclearance before making any changes to their voting laws or practices, based on a formula that calculated each jurisdiction's history of past voting discrimination. The Supreme Court struck down this provision in Shelby County v. Holder.
Laws passed in the 1970s make it more difficult for banks to engage in redlining, which is the practice of
refusing to lend money for house mortgages for entire neighborhoods. FEEDBACK: Several laws passed in the 1970s required banks to report information about their mortgage lending patterns, making it more difficult for them to engage in "redlining," the bank practice of refusing to lend to entire neighborhoods.
The judicial test that places the burden of proof on government to show that a race-based policy serves a compelling government interest and is narrowly tailored to address identifiable past discrimination is called
strict scrutiny. FEEDBACK: Brown v. Board of Education signaled more clearly the Court's determination to use the strict scrutiny test in racial discrimination cases, meaning that the burden of proof would fall on the government to show that the law in question was constitutional.
Responding to charges that black voters still faced discrimination at the polls, in 2006 Congress expanded which act for another 25 years?
the Voting Rights Act of 1965 FEEDBACK: Several provisions of the 1965 act were scheduled to expire in 2007. However, in 2006, responding to charges that black voters still faced discrimination at the polls, Congress renewed the act for another 25 years. The a key part of the act was ruled unconstitutional in the case Shelby County v. Holder.
The Seneca Falls declaration addressed civil rights for which group?
women FEEDBACK: The Struggle for Civil Rights - The Seneca Falls movement marked the beginning of the modern women's rights movement and produced the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions.
