1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910807886003321

Autore

Ancheta Angelo N. <1960->

Titolo

Scientific evidence and equal protection of the law [[electronic resource] /] / Angelo N. Ancheta

Pubbl/distr/stampa

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

ISBN

1-283-59870-1

9786613911155

0-8135-3931-5

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (208 p.)

Disciplina

342.7308/7

Soggetti

Discrimination - Law and legislation - United States

Equality before the law - United States

Discrimination - Research - United States

Equality before the law - Research - United States

Science and law

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

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

Nota di contenuto

Science and law, ideology, and inequality -- Desegregation and "modern authority" -- Science and equal protection -- Proving discrimination -- Science, advocacy, and fact finding -- Directions and conclusions.

Sommario/riassunto

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.