Adolescence, Discrimination, And The Law: Addressing Dramatic Shifts In Equality Jurisprudence

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In the wake of the civil rights movement, the legal system dramatically changed its response to discrimination based on race, gender, and other characteristics. It is now showing signs of yet another dramatic shift, as it moves from considering difference to focusing on neutrality. Rather than seeking to counter subjugation through special protections for groups that have been historically (and currently) disadvantaged, the Court now adopts a “colorblind” approach. Equality now means treating everyone the same way. This book explores these shifts and the research used to support civil rights claims, particularly relating to minority youths’ rights to equal treatment. It integrates developmental theory with work on legal equality and discrimination, showing both how the legal system can benefit from new research on development and how the legal system itself can work to address invidious discrimination given its significant influence on adolescents—especially those who are racial minorities—at a key stage in their developmental life. Adolescents, Discrimination, and the Law articulates the need to address discrimination by recognizing and enlisting the law’s inculcative powers in multiple sites subject to legal regulation, ranging from families, schools, health and justice systems to religious and community groups. The legal system may champion ideals of neutrality in the goals it sets itself for treating individuals, but it cannot remain neutral in the values it supports and imparts. This volume shows that despite the shift to a focus on neutrality, the Court can and should effectively foster values supporting equality, especially among youth.

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NYU Press Chapter Title: Front Matter Book Title: Adolescence, Discrimination, and the Law Book Subtitle: Addressing Dramatic Shifts in Equality Jurisprudence Book Author(s): Roger J. R. Levesque Published by: NYU Press. (2015) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt15r3z04.1 JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected] Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms NYU Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Adolescence, Discrimination, and the Law This content downloaded from 129.78.139.29 on Mon, 26 Sep 2016 06:03:47 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms This content downloaded from 129.78.139.29 on Mon, 26 Sep 2016 06:03:47 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Adolescence, Discrimination, and the Law This content downloaded from 129.78.139.29 on Mon, 26 Sep 2016 06:03:47 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms This page intentionally left blank This content downloaded from 129.78.139.29 on Mon, 26 Sep 2016 06:03:47 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Adolescence, Discrimination, and the Law Addressing Dramatic Shifts in Equality Jurisprudence Roger J. R. Levesque NEW YORK UNIVERSIT Y PRESS New York and London This content downloaded from 129.78.139.29 on Mon, 26 Sep 2016 06:03:47 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms NEW YORK UNIVERSIT Y PRESS New York and London www.nyupress.org © 2015 by New York University All rights reserved References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor New York Universit