The United States Supreme Court Landmark Cases: Implications on Racial/Ethnic Minorities’ Welfare

Abstract

Essentially, the United States Supreme Court plays a critical role in setting precedents that are followed by lower federal courts and state courts. This implies that faulty decision by the Supreme Court has a ripple effect, characterized by adversities in the delivery of justice across the board. Over the years, the United States Supreme Court has made various landmark rulings, some of which have been regarded as the worst decisions ever, while others have been deemed exemplary. From the 1900s and to around the mid-1900s, the United States Supreme Court made various rulings, the majority of which touched on racial segregation and discrimination of ethnic minorities. The rulings set critical precedence and gave guidelines to states with respect to the formulation and implementation of state laws. Understanding such rulings can greatly shed light regarding the historical background of the United States judicial system and what can be done to foster justice and equality in the future. This study entailed a qualitative content analysis research design to study and analyze six main cases: Pace v. Alabama (1883), Dred Scott v. Sandford (1856), Loving v. Virginia (1967), Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas (1954-55) and Ozawa v. United States (1922). The results of the content analysis are presented. The content analysis is based on the statements and their implicit messages.

Keywords: The United States Supreme Court landmark cases, racial discrimination, ethnicity, racial profiling,

landmark court decisions, U.S historical cases.