James Alexander, Director, Alabama Department of Public Safety, et al. v. Martha Sandoval, Individually and on Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated (532 U.S. 275)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided April 24, 2001 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 532 U.S. 275 · 121 S. Ct. 1511
- Decided
- April 24, 2001
- Term
- October Term 2000
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority author
- Justice Scalia
- Issue area
- Judicial Power
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court. This case presents the question whether private individuals may sue to enforce disparate-impact regulations promulgated under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I The Alabama Department of Public Safety (Department), of which petitioner James Alexander is the director, accepted grants of financial assistance from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Transportation (DOT) and so subjected itself to the restrictions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, as amended, 42 U. S. C. §2000d et seq. Section 601 of that Title provides that no person shall, “on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity” covered by Title VI. 42 U. S. C. § 2000d. Section 602 authorizes federal agencies “to effectuate the provisions of [§ 601]... by issuing rules, regulations, or orders of general applicability,” 42 U. S. C. §2000d-l, and the DOJ in an exercise of this authority promulgated a regulation forbidding funding recipients to “utilize criteria or methods of administration which have the effect of subjecting individuals to discrimination because of their race, color, or national origin....” 28 CPR § 42.104(b)(2) (2000). See also 49 CPR § 21.5(b)(2) (2000) (similar…
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