Cedric Merlin Powell
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About Cedric
Powell's research focuses on constitutional law, rooted in Critical Race Theory. Overarching themes in Powell's writings include the ways in which neutrality reinforces oppression and subjugation in various areas of society. Subjects of Powell's writings include the Fourteenth Amendment, affirmative action, school desegregation, the First Amendment and Hate Speech, and political process theory. Powell's research connects with other subject areas because of a focus on ostensibly neutral judicial rationales and public rhetoric actually advance structural inequality in society.
Contributions
How Race-Neutral Rulings by the Supreme Court Perpetuate Inequalities
No Jargon Podcast
In the News
Publications
Discusses the Supreme Court case, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard/UNC (SFFA), describing it as a deceptive effort detached from legal precedent and societal realities. Portrays the case as undermining anti-discrimination laws and distorting legal principles to favor reverse discrimination claims by white plaintiffs and racial discrimination claims by Asian-Americans. Argues that the Supreme Court's current post-racial interpretation is misleading and must be rejected to realize the vision of a truly multi-racial democracy.
This paper describes how the Court once acknowledged this danger in its political process decisions; and, while these decisions have not been explicitly overruled, Schuette marks the constitutionalization of post-racial process discourse and the democratic myth.
This article examines the use of "neutral" rhetoric in court decisions related to race and equal opportunity in the context of integration efforts in public schools.