5 SCOTUS Rulings that Amplify Racial Inequity

 1. McCleskey v. Kemp (1987)

   - Ruling: Statistical evidence of racial bias in sentencing isn't enough to prove discrimination in individual cases.

   - Impact: Made challenging systemic racial bias in courts extremely difficult.

2. United States v. Armstrong (1996)

   - Ruling: To claim selective prosecution, defendants must prove prosecutors didn't pursue similar cases against other races.

   - Impact: Set an almost insurmountable bar for proving racial bias in prosecutions.

3. Whren v. United States (1996)

   - Ruling: Police can make traffic stops for any violation, regardless of their actual motives.

   - Impact: Enabled pretextual stops, potentially facilitating racial profiling.

4. Alexander v. Sandoval (2001)

   - Ruling: Individuals can't sue to enforce regulations on disparate impact under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

   - Impact: Limited ability to challenge policies with disproportionate racial effects.

5. Heien v. North Carolina (2014)

   - Ruling: Evidence from stops based on an officer's "reasonable mistake of law" is admissible.

   - Impact: Expanded police discretion in conducting stops and searches.

 From Alexander, Michelle, author. The New Jim Crow : Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York :New Press, 2010.

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