The Legal System

This overview of the Trayvon Martin case provides information on the events leading up to the 17-year-old’s murder, the controversies the case has sparked and biographical details about Martin and killer George Zimmerman. The summary also includes quotes from prominent figures about the case.

The killing of 17-year-old African American Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, 2012, for “looking suspicious” as he walked through a gated community in Florida galvanized the black community and others across the nation to speak out against the series of killings of unarmed black men.

The killing of unarmed black youth Trayvon Martin Feb. 26, 2012, by a neighborhood watchman named George Zimmerman in Sanford, Fla., who thought the teen looked suspicious divided the nation along racial and political lines and led those in the public eye to make a series of provocative comments about injustice. This roundup of quotes shows the...

Affirmative action and minorities are often linked, but are the ethnic groups who need it most reaping its benefits in college admissions? A look at how affirmative action plays out among Asian-American and African-American students suggests maybe not.

Is affirmative action really necessary? Better yet, is reverse discrimination an actual problem? Decades after affirmative action was introduced, debates about its pros and cons live on. Learn who benefits most from affirmative action in college admissions and what impact banning affirmative action in certain states has had. Do race-based preferences have a future in America?

A group of white firefighters alleged that the city of New Haven, Conn., discriminated against them when it threw out a test that they passed at a 50% greater rate than blacks. Performance on the test was the basis for promotion. By discarding the test, the city prevented eligible white firefighters from advancing. Does this case, known as Ricci v. DeStefano, constitute reverse discrimination?

How have affirmative action bans in California, Texas and Florida affected student enrollment in public universities in those states? Enrollment of white students has declined following affirmative action’s demise. On the other hand, Asian American enrollment has risen dramatically while black and Latino enrollment has dipped. How can the...

Definition of affirmative action.

Debates have raged for years about the pros and cons of race-based preferences. But what’s the state of contemporary affirmative action, and is it helping to end discrimination? A review of recent laws and Supreme Court decisions involving affirmative action paints a picture.

After 9-11, racial profiling garnered much support. Opponents of racial profiling, however, say the practice is ineffective and actually hinders legal investigations. So, what alternatives exist? Moreover, what can you do if you’re racially profiled?

Trayvon Martin faced a smear campaign by killer George Zimmerman and his defense team as well as by right-wing extremists in the months after his death. The slain teen’s family and friends have tried to set the record straight about his life by providing the media with info to piece together a bio of Trayvon that goes beyond the stereotypes that...

Information from his family and friends, previous run-ins with the law and general facts about his life paint a ragtag biography of George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old man who killed Trayvon Martin, setting off a national debate about race and violence.

Being followed around in stores, treated rudely or ignored by staffers may all be signs of "shopping while black." How can you tell if you’re being racially profiled while shopping, and what can you do about it?

Research on opinions about gay marriage has revealed that black voters are more likely to support gay marriage in 2012 than they were in 2008. In 2012, there was very little difference between the percentage of blacks who opposed same-sex marriage and the percentage of whites who did.

After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government ordered more than 110,000 Japanese Americans into internment camps. Many went without a fight, but three notable Japanese Americans named Fred Korematsu, Minoru Yasui and Gordon Hirabayashi were among those who demanded that their constitutional rights be protected, taking their cases all...