Scientific evidence and equal protection of the law / Angelo N. Ancheta.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ancheta, Angelo N., 1960-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Discrimination--Law and legislation--United States.

Discrimination.

Equality before the law--United States.

Equality before the law.

Discrimination--Research--United States.

Equality before the law--Research--United States.

Science and law.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (208 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Scientific and social scientific evidence has informed judicial decisions and the making of constitutional law for decades, but for much of U.S. history it has also served as a rhetorical device to justify inequality. It is only in recent years that scientific and statistical research has helped redress discrimination—but not without controversy. Scientific Evidence and Equal Protection of the Law provides unique insights into the judicial process and scientific inquiry by examining major decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, civil rights advocacy, and the nature of science itself. Angelo Ancheta discusses leading equal protection cases such as Brown v. Board of Education and recent litigation involving race-related affirmative action, gender inequality, and discrimination based on sexual orientation. He also examines less prominent, but equally compelling cases, including McCleskey v. Kemp, which involved statistical evidence that a state’s death penalty was disproportionately used when victims were white and defendants were black, and Castaneda v. Partida, which established key standards of evidence in addressing the exclusion of Latinos from grand jury service. For each case, Ancheta explores the tensions between scientific findings and constitutional values.

Contents:

Science and law, ideology, and inequality

Desegregation and "modern authority"

Science and equal protection

Proving discrimination

Science, advocacy, and fact finding

Directions and conclusions.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-183) and index.

ISBN:

1-283-59870-1

9786613911155

0-8135-3931-5

OCLC:

811505210