Nation Awaits Supreme Court Decision on Major Civil Rights Cases

Racism and bigotry v. Civil Rights

The next several weeks will see whether civil rights for minorities are protected in four major political cases.

SCOTUSblog.com (sponsored by Bloomberg Law) notes expected U.S. Supreme Court rulings include the following civil rights cases on voting rights, marriage equity and affirmative action.

• Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin - Affirmative action
• Shelby County v. Holder - Constitutionality of Section 5 of Voting Rights Act
• Hollingsworth v. Perry - California's definition of marriage and the Equal Protection Clause
• United States v. Windsor - Constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act

The Court will likely issue landmark rulings as the culmination (and in some cases the civil rights community's legal response) of the Republican Party's work to disenfranchise gays from getting married; halt efforts that help minorities get a college education; and stop minorities from voting—all long-term GOP policy objectives.

The Court is expected to recess at the end of June or early July.