Law Commons^™

Strict Construction And Judicial Review Of Racial Discrimination Under The Equal Protection Clause: Meeting Raoul Berger On Interpretivist Grounds, Paul R. Dimond

Michigan Law Review

In the face of this common understanding of the vagueness of much of the constitutional text, Berger bears the burden of proving that the equal protection clause was intended to enumerate specific, narrow protections against racial discrimination. This Article examines several contemporary sources to determine whether he has accomplished that task. It proceeds in six parts. Part I analyzes the text of the fourteenth amendment and contemporaneous congressional views on judicial review. Contrary to Berger's construction, the equal protection clause is not limited by its terms to the privileges or immunities clause or to the specific rights enumerated in the …