CCNS1I1U1ICNAL LAW II

kAIALLA CAS1LLLS
LSSA CLASS CNL
kCILSSCk ICNLS


8kCWN I AND 1nL MCkAL DIMLNSICNS CI CCNS1I1U1ICNAL LAW
A Const|tut|ona| Law has a mora| d|mens|on

lL ls a book of rules buL lL ls lnLerpreLed by people so Lhere ls an lnescapable moral
elemenL WlLh LhaL belng sald Lhe rules Lhemselves may also conLaln a moral elemenL because
Lhey are creaLed drafLed passed and developed by people as well
1he CourL's nlne !usLlces are human belngs LhaL carry wlLh Lhem Lhelr lndlvldual
experlences blases hlsLorles and group ldenLlLles Cbvlously Lhey Lry Lo consLraln Lhelr
declslonmaklng so lL ls wlLhln sLrlcLures of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon buL when you conslder cases wlLh
closecalls and Lhe declslon Lurns on someLhlng oLher Lhan blackleLLer law Lhen you begln Lo
see Lhe moral dlmenslon each !usLlce brlngs Lo Lhe Lable
1hls ls parLlcularly evldenL when you observe !usLlces uLlllzlng dlfferenL ConsLlLuLlonal
raLlonallzaLlons for Lhelr holdlngs lor example someLlmes a sLrlcL formallsL may behave more
llke a reallsL lf lL ls more conduclve Lo an approprlaLe resulL and a formallsL approach would
have resulLed ln ln[usLlce lL can be confuslng someLlmes when Lhe !usLlces proclalm Lo be of
one school of LhoughL buL Lhelr reasonlng ln an oplnlon does noL accord wlLh such
noneLheless all of Lhe !usLlces afford a dlsLlncL moral dlmenslon Lo Lhe Supreme CourL
As such Lhe Supreme CourL's moral dlmenslon changes as Lhe composlLlon of Lhe CourL
and facLors LhaL affecL Lhe CourL such as pollLlcal pressures and naLlonal senLlmenL change as
well 1hus lL ls lmporLanL Lo noLe LhaL Lhe Supreme CourL does noL have a sLaLlc moral
dlmenslon buL LhaL lL ls consLanLly changlng ln accord wlLh Lhe addlLlon and subLracLlon of
!usLlces as Lhe cusLoms and culLure of Lhe uS change and as Lhe lssues Lhemselves before Lhe
!usLlces change over Llme
1here ls generally a Lenslon beLween lndlvldual rlghLs and freedom when sLrlcL
formallsLs suggesL Lhe words of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon are Lhe endallbeall lor example gay
marrlage was cerLalnly noL conLemplaLed by Lhe ConsLlLuLlon buL LhaL does noL mean lL cannoL
exlsL under Lhe ConsLlLuLlon even lf LhaL was whaL Lhe framers would have deemed flL now
Llmes have changed and Lhere ls more supporL for gay marrlage 1he moral effecL of
conservaLlves and Lhose who follow Lhe docLrlne of whaL would Lhe framers do" creaLes
Lenslon wlLh Lhe moral reallLy of Lhe presenL Llme AlLhough lL ls obvlous LhaL one musL llve
wlLhln Lhe conflnes of Lhe law Lhls conservaLlve group lgnores one's rlghL Lo llve oot os Lhe
framers dld

8 does not rest on a c|a|m of or|g|na||sm and the dec|s|on |s not a [ud|c|a| usurpat|on
of power

!usL because 8rown l does noL resL on a clalm of orlglnallsm does noL mean LhaL lL ls a
[udlclal usurpaLlon of power" 1here are many oLher leglLlmaLe sources of [udlclal
lnLerpreLaLlon a !usLlce can rely on oLher Lhan orlglnallsm 1o llmlL Lhe CourL Lo only renderlng
declslons whlch are sLrlcLly supporLed by orlglnallsL reasonlng ls Lhe equlvalenL of glvlng Lhe
CourL a compleLe Loolbox and Lhen only allowlng Lhem Lo use Lhe hammer lL severely llmlLs
Lhe usefulness 1he goal of Lhe CourL and Lhe purpose of [udlclal lnLerpreLaLlon ls Lo creaLe
prlnclpled declslons noL Lo creaLe declslons LhaL are all sLrlcLly ln llne wlLh one llne of reasonlng
couched ln a slngle docLrlne
1he lnherenL problem wlLh orlglnallsm and Lhe reason why lL ls noL Lhe only way Lo
lnLerpreL Lhe ConsLlLuLlon ls LhaL lLs only concern ls LhaL of Lhe lnLenL of Lhe framers 1he
framer's lnLenL ls noL memorlallzed anywhere oLher Lhan Lhe LexL of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon uue Lo
Lhe way laws are made and Lhelr naLure belng a compromlse among many lndlvlduals lL ls
dangerous Lo Lry Lo plnpolnL exacLly whaL Lhe lnLenL was behlnd any parLlcular law 1hus Lhe
lnLenL comes down Lo a sub[ecLlve lnLerpreLaLlon ln lLself lL ls ot yoo tok Lhey LhoughL
1hus Lo Lhe exLenL LhaL Lhe CourL focuses on moral prlnclples lnsLead of rlgld black
leLLer rules and Lhe framer's lnLenL ls noL a [udlclal usurpaLlon of power lL ls a reflecLlon LhaL
Lhe ConsLlLuLlon ls noL a rlgld book of rules buL a book of rules Lo be lnLerpreLed by humans
accordlng Lo Lhe problems and reallLles of Lhe currenL Llme AL Lhe Llme of 8too Lhe problem
was segregaLlon and Lhe CourL dld noL need Lo malnLaln an orlglnallsL vlew or bend backwards
Lo lnLerpreL Lhe framer's lnLenL because Lhe CourL recognlzed whaL Lhe tt oplnlon was and
embraced lL
1he lnLenL of Lhe framers ls dlfferenL Lhan whaL lL mlghL have been lf Lhe framers
drafLed Lhe ConsLlLuLlon aL presenL Llme or even when 8too was declded and lf Lhe framers
had been composed of a dlverse group of people ln Louch wlLh Lhe moral qualms presenLed by
segregaLlon 1hls ls because Llmes change aLLlLudes change lssues change and Lhe way we
Lackle lssues changes 1hls ls why Lhe framers drafLed flexlblllLy lnLo Lhe ConsLlLuLlon so LhaL lL
may be applled ln a Llmeless manner lf we cllng Lo whaL Lhe ConsLlLuLlon meanL Lo a group of
men ln 1787 would be Lo deny Lhe progress and change LhaL has occurred ln Lhe world slnce
Lhen along wlLh Lhe moral elemenL LhaL exlsLs ln Lhe law


C What prec|se|y d|d requ|re southern schoo| systems to do?

8too l requlred souLhern school sysLems Lo rld Lhemselves of Lhe segregaLlon effecLed
by Lhe separaLe buL equal" reglme and Lhen 8too ll requlred Lhe school sysLems Lo do so
wlLhln a paced Llmellne Lhe CourL refers Lo as wlLh all dellberaLe speed" 1he CourL wanLed Lhe
souLhern schools Lo change as swlfLly as reallsLlcally posslble whlle aL Lhe same Llme maklng
dellberaLe and LhoughouL changes unforLunaLely before 8too ll Lhere was no llablllLy and no
deflned remedy even Lhough segregaLlon was deemed unConsLlLuLlonal
1he CourL's declslon Lo noL lnclude a Llmellne or lmposlng daLes cerLaln for speclflc
desegregaLlon mllesLones meanL LhaL noLhlng or noL much was golng Lo happen wlLhouL
8too ll l somewhaL undersLand Lhe reallsL reasonlng behlnd allowlng a slowerLhan
lmmedlaLe (lf Lhls ls whaL dellberaLe speed" can be lnLerpreLed Lo mean) progresslon of school
sysLems Lowards eradlcaLlng segregaLlon because ln reallLy momenLous changes llke Lhls do noL
occur overnlghL 8uL l Lhlnk Lhe CourL erred because alLhough Lhe lalnLlffs won" Lhey could
noL leave Lhe courLroom and walk lnLo a desegregaLed school
ln sum Lhe lalnLlffs dld noL recelve Lhe closure Lhe [udlclal sysLem ls supposed Lo
afford lnsLead afLer faclng a Lrylng legal baLLle Lhe lalnLlffs were nexL faced wlLh a baLLle
agalnsL socleLy Lo enforce Lhe [udgmenL handed down by Lhe CourL