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Some Penetrating Observations On The Fifth Anniversary Of Lawrence V. Texas: Privacy, Dominance, And Substantive Equality Theory, Shannon Gilreath

Shannon Gilreath

This article, “Some Penetrating Observations on the Fifth Anniversary of Lawrence v. Texas: Privacy, Dominance, and Substantive Equality Theory,” asks the reader to look at the equality claims of minority groups at a new conceptual level. With the Lawrence decision as its critical paradigm, the essay proceeds through several observations on the failure of privacy/substantive due process grounded opinions to deliver rights to minorities. This discussion feeds an ultimate criticism of the equality analysis (or lack thereof) of many of the Court’s principal minority rights opinions. Particularly, I am critical of the longstanding notion that equal protection of the laws …