Argues that the record of the United States Supreme Court hardly warrants a view of the Court as a special protector of minorities. The idea of the Court as guardian of minority rights obscures the more fundamental and lasting role of the Court as protector of property rights. (SLD)

Argues that recent trends in Supreme Court decisions do not bode well for future civil rights claims of minorities. Changes affecting the Court stem from the unhappiness of political conservatives. The emerging conservative minority and its historical development are described as an aspect of regressive political and policymaking forces. (SLD)

Reviews and analyzes the legal development and current status of affirmative action. Traces the aftermath of the Brown versus Board of Education case, the benign discrimination doctrine, the impact of the City of Richmond versus Croson in minority set-asides in Virginia, and the strict scrutiny standard. (JB)

Offers an analysis of the legal, court, and regulatory work of the Reagan and, to some extent, the Bush administrations on the issues of civil rights and affirmative action. Argues that these administrations worked to shift the views of the high court and mounted an offensive against affirmative action. (JB)