A new multi-part series from New Hampshire Public Radio’s Civics 101 – a podcast refresher course on the fundamentals of our democracy – examines six United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) cases dealing with civil rights. The series examines how equality, citizenship and freedom have been interpreted over the past two centuries.
Starting May 18, Civics 101 launches six episodes biweekly investigating the following cases:
- Dred Scott versus Sanford
- Plessy v. Ferguson
- Brown v Board of Education
- Korematsu versus United States
- Loving v. Virginia
- Obergefell v. Hodges
May 18: The first episode deals with the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford of the Supreme Court of 1857 in which an enslaved man and his family were suing for their freedom. The court denied the legality of citizenship for black Americans, a decision many scholars today consider to be the worst in the court’s history.
June 1: The second episode describes the decision behind the sentence “separately, but the same”. In the Plessy v Ferguson case, the US Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public entities as long as the segregated entities were “of equal quality”.
15th June: The third episode is about Brown v. Topeka’s Board of Education, in which the Court overturned Plessy and ruled that state segregation laws in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise of the same quality.
June 29th: Korematsu v. United States focuses on the fourth episode, a 1944 case in which “all persons of Japanese descent, including foreigners and non-foreigners” were relocated to internment camps for national security reasons. A 23-year-old Japanese-American man, Fred Korematsu, refused to leave and instead challenged the order on the grounds that it violated the fifth amendment.
July 13th: The fifth episode deals with the case of Loving v. 1967 Virginia. The court ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriage violated the equal protection clauses and due process of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.
20th of July: The last episode examines a landmark case from just six years ago – Obergefell v. Hodges – a decision that legalized same-sex marriage.
To learn more about Civics 101 and listen to new episodes:
consequences Civics 101 on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates.
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New Hampshire Public Radio has been shaping the media landscape in Granite State and beyond since 1981. Our mission is to expand the mind, make connections, and build stronger communities. NHPR is broadcast from 14 different locations, making it by far the largest (and only) nationwide radio news service in New Hampshire. Each week, NHPR is chosen by 152,000 listeners as the primary source for in-depth and intelligent coverage and insightful programming. Thousands more are viewing NHPR.org, following our social media sites, streaming our service online, or listening to our podcasts. Each day, New Hampshire Public Radio delivers hours of local news reported by its award-winning news team. Locally produced programs and podcasts include The Exchange, The Folk Show, Outside / In and Civics 101. NHPR is the exclusive outlet for NPR News in Granite State and broadcasts national weekly programs such as The Moth Radio Hour, Wait Wait … Don ‘ t Tell Me !, and This American Life. Visit nhpr.org to access our news and information.
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