{"product_id":"9780814709115","title":"What Brown v. Board of Education Should Have Said: The Nation's Top Legal Experts Rewrite America's Landmark Civil Rights Decision","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBrown v. Board of Education\u003c\/i\u003e, the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 decision ordering the desegregation of America's public schools, is perhaps the most famous case in American constitutional law. Criticized and even openly defied when first handed down, in half a century Brown has become a venerated symbol of equality and civil rights.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIts meaning, however, remains as contested as the case is celebrated. In the decades since the original decision, constitutional interpreters of all stripes have found within it different meanings. Both supporters and opponents of affirmative action have claimed the mantle of \u003cem\u003eBrown\u003c\/em\u003e, criticizing the other side for betraying its spirit. Meanwhile, the opinion itself has often been criticized as bland and uninspiring, carefully written to avoid controversy and maintain unanimity among the Justices.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs the 50th anniversary of \u003cem\u003eBrown\u003c\/em\u003e approaches, America's schools are increasingly divided by race and class. Liberals and conservatives alike harbor profound regrets about the development of race relations since Brown, while disagreeing heatedly about the proper role of the courts in promoting civil equality and civil rights.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this volume, nine of America's top constitutional and civil rights experts have been challenged to rewrite the \u003cem\u003eBrown\u003c\/em\u003e decision as they would like it to have been written, incorporating what they now know about the subsequent history of the United States but making use of only those sources available at the time of the original decision. In addition, Jack Balkin gives a detailed introduction to the case, chronicling the history of the litigation in \u003cem\u003eBrown\u003c\/em\u003e, and explaining the current debates over its legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eContributors include:  Bruce Ackerman, Jack M Balkin, Derrick A. Bell, Drew S. Days, John Hart Ely, Catharine A. MacKinnon, Michael W. McConnell, Frank I Michelman, and Cass R. Sunstein.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"New York University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47110916767984,"sku":"9780814709115","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780814709115_p0.jpg?v=1763752287","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780814709115","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}