Irrational Basis Review

Race Conscious Remedies

Episode Summary

In Korematsu v. United States, the Supreme Court said that laws that distinguish between people on the basis of race are subject to strict scrutiny. And it purportedly applied that standard in Brown v. Board of Education, the case holding that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional. In the past couple of decades, however, a new question has arisen—should strict scrutiny apply to laws that distinguish on the basis of race in order to help minorities?

Episode Notes

In Korematsu v. United States, the Supreme Court said that laws that distinguish between people on the basis of race are subject to strict scrutiny. And it purportedly applied that standard in Brown v. Board of Education, the case holding that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional. In the past couple of decades, however, a new question has arisen—should strict scrutiny apply to laws that distinguish on the basis of race in order to help minorities?