Saint Francis College v. al-Khazraji

SCOTUSCase
Litigants=Saint Francis College v. al-Khazraji
ArgueDate=February 25
ArgueYear=1987
DecideDate=May 18
DecideYear=1987
FullName= Saint Francis College v. al-Khazraji
USVol=481
USPage=604
Holding=The Court held that persons of Arabian ancestry were protected from racial discrimination under Section 1981.
SCOTUS=1986-1987
Majority=White
JoinMajority= Marshall, Blackmun, Powell Jr., Stevens, O'Connor, Scalia
Concurrence= Brennan
LawsApplied= 42 U.S.C. Section 1981, Civil Rights Act of 1964 "Saint Francis College v. al-Khazraji", 481 U.S. 604 (1987), is a case decided by the United States Supreme Court.

Background

Al-Khazraji, a professor and U.S. citizen born in Iraq, filed suit against his former employer and its tenure committee for denying him tenure on the basis of his Arabian race in violation of 42 U.S.C. Section 1981. The District Court held that while Al-Kharzraji had properly alleged racial discrimination, the record was insufficient to determine whether he had been subjected to prejudice.

The question posed was "Did 42 U.S.C. Section 1981 apply to Arab minorities?"

Holding

In response to this question the Court held that persons of Arabian ancestry were protected from racial discrimination under Section 1981. Writing for a unanimous Court, Justice Byron R. White maintained that section 1981 encompassed discrimination even among Caucasians. Justice White noted that history did not support the claim that Arabs and other present-day "Caucasians" were considered to be a single race for the purposes of section 1981. Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., in a separate concurrence, added that "Pernicious distinctions among individuals based solely on their ancestry are antithetical to the doctrine of equality upon which this nation is founded."

ee also

* List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 481

External links

* [http://www.oyez.org/cases/1980-1989/1986/1986_85_2169/ U.S. Supreme Court ruling and dissent from Oyez.org]
* [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=481&invol=604 Full Text of the Majority Opinion and the Concurring Opinion]
* [http://law.jrank.org/pages/13198/Saint-Francis-College-v-Al-Khazraji.html Facts of the Case alongside some analysis]