Case law, legislation, the administration of justice and state sanctioning of extra-legal force have profoundly affected people of color in the U.S., impacting their constitutional and civil rights, political participation, community and family formation, employment rights and opportunities, education, and property rights. This course will critically examine, in particular, the judiciary’s approach to racial discrimination from the colonial period through the Warren Court. It will conclude with an analysis of the post-Brown status of racial subordination in the legal system and consider recent scholarly critiques of the laws limitations in effecting racial justice. The course will employ an interdisciplinary and comparative approach, covering the experiences of American Indians, African Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, and Chicana/os. Through an integrated analysis of the groups’ legal histories and social constructions, the class will foster a comprehensive understanding of race and racism as foundational elements of U.S. Law.