"Affirmative action" is the term typically used to refer to two contrasting values: the value of equal opportunity and the value of equal results. The Justice Department under the Reagan Administration, however, draws a clear distinction between the two, and is committed to the "original" meaning of affirmative action. That is,…

Today, the United States stands at a critical crossroad with regard to civil rights; the choice is between an officially colorblind society and a government-supported, race-conscious one. The purpose of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments was to end a discriminatory system and to erect in its place a regime of race neutrality. In 1896, the…

In these remarks, William Bradford Reynolds, Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice, discusses American civil rights in the light of past and present Federal policy. A review of constitutional provisions, legislation, and court litigation reveals how policy has variously provided for equality and perpetuated…

Comparable worth is a concept not merely alien but also inferior to the traditions of the American people. The thesis that jobs of "comparable worth" demand pay equivalency--at least as between male-dominated and female-dominated occupations--is unworthy of serious attention in both legal and economic terms. The consequences of accepting…

The Reagan Administration believes in equal employment opportunity, which requires that every individual receive an equal opportunity for employment on strength of individual merit. Any compromise, such as racially preferential hirings, promotions, or terminations, whether from benign or pernicious motives, cannot be fairly described as…

On this 20th anniversary of the passage of the Arizona Civil Rights Act, the State is to be congratulated for its successes in civil rights enforcement. The significance of the passage of the Act is twofold: (1) it added the full weight of State law enforcement to the battle against unlawful discrimination; and (2) it underscored the continuing…