In his dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896), Justice John Marshall Harlan wrote that the U.S. Constitution is “color-blind” as he opposed state-imposed racial segregation in rail cars. Justice Harlan’s dissent is arguably the most famous in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court because it was the foundation for the majority opinion in Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954) which overturned the “separate-but-equal” doctrine in public education. This session will explore the power of dissenting opinions in landmark cases dealing with free speech, the right to privacy, and equal rights and the impact of dissents on individual rights in future cases. The session will also examine the legacy of frequent dissenters, including Justices Louis Brandeis, William O. Douglas, Antonin Scalia, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
((Sara Grove - Friday - In Person: Masonic Village))
