Critical Legal Theory Outline

Critical Legal Theory
Daniels
Spring 2011
 
I.                  Legal Formalism v. Legal Realism
A.                Formalism
1.                  Looks into determinative law
2.                  Most judicial decisions have a formalist structure
3.                  Newuborne’s Syllogism Machine
a)                 Major Premise – general proposition (law)
b)                 Minor Premise – facts
c)                  Conclusion – application of the facts to the law
(1)               In order for this machine to work, one needs to be able to find the major and minor premises
(2)               This is a normative structure where the major premise is given importance
(a)              Normative: The way things should be
(b)              Descriptive: The way things are
(3)               Formalists feed the minor premise into the major premise
(4)               Juries are the minor premise finders
(5)               Judges are the major premise finders
B.                 Realism
1.                  Critiques of Formalism
a)                 No right decisions
b)                 Social reality
c)                  Rights not preexisting
d)                 Always logical choices
e)                 Social-scientific fact-gathering
f)                   Everything entails moral choice
g)                 Language is indeterminitive
2.                  Realism can be taken into account both implicitly and expressly
3.                  Different areas of law have taken realism into account (i.e. reasonableness, foreseeability)
C.                Questions to Consider:
1.                  How are the facts interpreted to lead a judge to their decision?
2.                  Are their reasons that compel a particular judicial decision?
 
II.               Critical Race Theory
A.                What is CRT?
1.                  Movement centered around the studying of the relationship between race, racism, power and law
2.                  Birthed out of the belief that the advances of civil rights movement addressed the broader issues of discrimination
B.                 Three CRT Themes
1.                  Idealists: hold that racism and discrimination are matters of thinking, mental categorization, attitude and discourse
a)                 Change through campus speech codes, tort remedies for racist speech, diversity seminars, etc.
2.                  Realists: hold that though attitudes and words are important, racism is a means by which society allocates privilege and status
3.                  Materialists: Understanding the ebb and flow of racial progress and retrenchment requires a careful look at conditions prevailing at different times in history
a)                 Need to change physical circumstances of minorities’ lives before racism will abate
C.                Critical Race Theory Methods
1.                  Ordinariness
a)                 The law is inherently racist
2.                  Revisionist History (Materialist)
b)        Revising history though a minority lens to explain race (separate but equal)            
3.                  Storytelling
a)                 Counterstorytelling: attacking embedded preconceptions that marginalize others or conceal their humanity
b)                 Cure for silencing
c)                  Lyotard’s concept of differend: occurs when a concept acquires conflicting meanings for two groups
D.                Methodology (Brooks Article)
1.                  Subordination Question (Two-Pronged Test)
a)                 Whether a rule of law or legal doctrine, practice or custom subordinations important interests and concerns of racial minorities
b)                 If so, how is this problem best remedied?
E.                 Two Form of Racism (Delgado)
1.                  Substantive: that which treats non-whites as though they were inferior to whites (i.e. Jim Crow)
2.                  Procedural: promulgate narratives and rules that invalidate or handicap black claims (i.e. difficult standing requirement for civil rights cases)
F.                 Two Models of Racial Justice (Brooks)
1.                  Symmetrical Equality: focuses on racial sameness
a)                 Assimilation model: the law should require social institutions to treat non-whites as they already treat whites
(1)               Criticism: denies significant societal difference – advantages and disadvantages between whites and non-whites
b)                 Pluralism: institutions should adopt standards that can reasonably accommodate differences
(1)               Criticism: Leaves white decision makers with too much discretion
2.                  Asymmetrical Equality: embraces racial differences
G.                Lawrence Article
1.                  Race needs to be discussed differently when it comes to the law
2.                  The law is looking only for intentional racism
3.                  Cultural Meaning Test
a)                 Meant to address unconscious racism in an equal protection context
b)                 What is the other meaning associated with the facts
c)                  The court should identify unconscious racism as a type of racism
4.                  Unconscious Racism
a)                 Freudian Theory: the mind defends itself against the discomfort of guilt by denying or refusing to recognize those ideas that conflict with what the  individual has learned is good or right
b)                 Cognitive psychology: the culture transmits certain beliefs and preferences
Ideology (of Equal Opportunity): intellectual tool that a group uses to enhance its political power by institutionalizing a particular view of reality
c)                  Strain Theory: ideology as a response to the strains that an individual’s or a group’s social role or position creates
H.                Freeman Article
1.                  Victim Perspective: Subst