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Modern Civil Rights Movement

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Title Description Class
Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that a father who was a member of the Cherokee Nation could not reclaim parental rights of his child under the Indian Child Welfare Act because he never had custody of the child.
Affirmative Action's Origins and Legacies This teaching module provides an in-depth look at affirmative action, delving into its origins and tracing its impact to the present day, featuring a webinar with Nebraska Law faculty Eric Berger, Danielle Jefferis, and Catherine Wilson.
American Indian Religious Freedom Act This act amended the 1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act to allow for the protected use of peyote as a sacrament in traditional religious ceremonies.
Asian Americans Confront U.S. Law and Policy: A Case Study of the Vietnamese Impact on Defining the "Refugee" This teaching module looks at the role Vietnamese migrants played in creating the current status of refugees, featuring a webinar with Linda Ho Peché, project director for the Vietnamese in the Diaspora Digital Archive.
Baker v. Nelson Baker v. Nelson was first same-sex marriage case to be reviewed by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal from the Minnesota Supreme Court, stating that the case did not bring forward "a substantial federal question." This case reflects the lack of thought given to LGBTQ+ rights in 1972.
Bowers v. Hardwick Later overturned by Lawrence v. Texas, this Supreme Court case ruled that the 14th Amendment did not prevent states from prohibiting sexual relations between same-sex couples.
Brief of Amici Curiae American Historical Association and Organization of American Historians In Support of Federal and Tribal Parties The amicus brief for Haaland v. Brackeen, submitted by the American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians in support of federal and tribal parties, outlines key historical issues of child removal in tribal communities.
Brief of Historians of Marriage and the American Historical Association as Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioners This amicus brief for Obergefell v. Hodges was submitted by historians affiliated with the American Historical Society in support of same sex marriage.
California Proposition 6 A proposed amendment to the California that would have banned involuntary servitude as a punishment for a crime. This measure failed in the 2024 election, meaning the State of California remains one of 16 states that still allows forced labor. A similar ballot measure also failed in 2022.
Civil Liberties Act This act granted reparations to Japanese Americans who had been removed from their homes and interred in camps by the government during World War II. It also made restitution to Native Americans in Alaska who were interred by both the Japanese and Americans.
Colorado Repeal Exception To Constitutional Ban On Slavery Colorado's repeal of the constitutional exception to slavery ended involuntary servitude as a punishment for a crime.
Defense of Marriage Act The Defense of Marriage Act defined marriage federally as between a man and a woman, and allowed each state to recognize marriage based on its own definition. As a result, same-sex marriages granted under the laws of some states were not recognized by others.
Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization In Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Supreme Court argued against the right of privacy, overturning Roe v. Wade.
Doe v. Bolton A Supreme Court case decided at the same time as Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton ruled that a Georgia abortion law limiting access to abortions to cases of rape, fetal deformity, or extreme injury to the mother was unconstitutional.
Dollar General Corp. v. Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians After an anonymous boy was sexually assaulted by the manager of the Dollar General on Choctaw land, the boy sued the manager and Dollar General in Tribal Court, using the precedent set in Montana v. United States that tribal courts could regulate the activity of non-tribal members who enter into a consensual relationship with the tribe. The Supreme Court was equally divided, so the ruling of the Court of Appeals was held: the tribal court could exercise jurisdiction over Dollar General.
Duro v. Reina This Supreme Court case looked at Native American tribal jurisdictions. The Court ruled that Native tribes did not have criminal jurisdiction over nonmembers.
Duro-Fix This amendment to the Indian Civil Rights Act was designed to overturn the Supreme Court's ruling in Duro v. Reina. It reinstated the power of Native American tribes to exercise criminal misdemeanor jurisdiction over all Indians.
Equal Credit Opportunity Act This act prohibited discrimination in credit transactions and lending practices based on sex and marital status. It was amended in 1976 to include other characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, religion, and use of any public assistance program. Before the law was enacted, lenders and the federal government frequently and explicitly discriminated against female loan applicants.
Executive Order 11478 - Equal Employment Opportunity in the Federal Government This executive order from President Richard Nixon ensured the continuation of affirmative action and increased directives to limit discrimination in the workplace. Nixon added that this order intends to prevent discrimination based on sex as well as race.
Executive Order 12138 - Creating a National Women's Business Enterprise Policy and Prescribing Arrangements for Developing, Coordinating and Implementing a National Program for Women's Business Enterprise This executive order from President Jimmy Carter established regulations to ensure women-owned businesses received support from the federal government and that women face less discrimination in the workplace.
Executive Order 12432 - Minority Business Enterprise Development This executive order from President Ronald Reagan sought to protect minority business owners and provide regulations to prevent discrimination. This was one of a series of executive orders to ensure affirmative action issued by every president across the second half of the twentieth century.
Executive Order 14053 - Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People This executive order by President Joe Biden sought to improve the federal government's response to the public safety and criminal justice crisis of murdered and missing Native Americans.
Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report This report initiated data collection and information gathering on abuses in the Native American boarding school system.
Fisher v. University of Texas This Supreme Court case upheld the admissions policies of the University of Texas using the strict scrutiny criteria established by the 2013 Fisher v. University of Texas decision. It was later overturned by the decision in Harvard and UNC v. Students for Fair Admission.
From Back Alley to the Border: Criminal Abortion in the 20th Century U.S. This teaching module looks at the history of criminal abortion in the 20th century, featuring a webinar with Alicia Gutierrez-Romine, author of the 2020 book, From Back Alley to the Border: Criminal Abortion in California, 1920-1969.