22 Jan 2010 Alan Grayson Inadvertently Reminds Us of the Limits of Stare Decisis on Roe Anniversary

Dred Scott

Some members of the Project 21 black leadership group were offended by Rep. Alan Grayson’s comments comparing yesterday’s Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC to the Dred Scott case, believing Grayson’s comparison tends to trivialize Dred Scott. In Dred Scott the Supreme Court, after all, “decided” that black Americans who were, had been, or were descended from slaves could not be U.S. citizens (among other noxious things).

It is breathtaking that a majority of the Supreme Court could take away the citizenship of a huge group of people just like that.

The fact that the Dred Scott decision could ever take place certainly reminds us of the limits of stare decisis, something worth remembering on this anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision.

The Project 21 press release can be read here.

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Labels: Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, History, Project 21, Race