Equal Protection: Women, Affirmative Action and Gay Rights

1. Is “diversity” in the workplace or in educational settings a “compelling state interest”? If so, how is diversity defined and achieved? AP Government and Politics Chapter 19: Wilson Homework: Read Wilson, Chapter 19 (544-550) Equal Protection: Women, Affirmative Action and Gay Rights

2. Equal Protection and Affirmative Action • What is affirmative action? • How does it apply to the concept of “equal protection”? • How are equality of opportunity and equality of results different? • How are compensatoryactions and preferentialtreatment different? • When considering how minorities have been affected by a law or program, the Court must ask two basic questions in order to determine if the law or action is constitutional • Any preference given to race must serve a “compelling state interest” • Law must be “narrowly tailored” to serve that interest • Which of the following would be considered unconstitutional violations of equal protection? • Using a specific numerical quota for student admission to a medical school • “Taking race into account” when making college admissions decisions • Using a test for job applicants that tends to produce higher scores for whites • Laying off white workers before black workers