The Anti-Defamation League held its annual Supreme Court Review July 8th at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. ADL Director of Civil Rights Deborah Lauter led the discussion between renowned legal experts Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Law and Frederick Lawrence, President of Brandeis University, about this year’s Supreme Court decisions. Among the issues discussed were reproductive rights and the First Amendment, affirmative action, the legality of prayer at public town meetings, and buffer zones outside of abortion clinics. In discussing Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, Chemerinsky noted, “For the first time, for-profit companies can claim to have religious beliefs.” He explained that this decision could have wide-ranging consequences, so that companies could discriminate against LGBT and other employees in the name of their religious beliefs.
The panel also discussed the historic decision in Brown v. Board of Education, in which ADL filed an amicus brief. They discussed how the idea of equal access to education has not been entirely fulfilled, particularly in light of the Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action case, which upheld universities’ rights to choose whether or not to take race into consideration for admissions. The panelists agreed that this year’s decisions showed great divides within the Supreme Court, and it is likely we will be discussing these cases further in the near future. Although the ADL is disappointed in many of the recent verdicts and their vast implications, we remain hopeful that future legislation will continue to rectify injustice.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.