Racial Profiling in the Law

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the case of Whren et al. v. United States (517 US 806, 1996) in which the United States Supreme Court quashed the allegations of the petitioners that they were the victims of a re textual stop in which their race and not their behavior were of paramount concern to arresting officers. The paper looks at the Court position on re textual arrests as well as at how the arrest of the petitioners differs markedly from an instance of racial profiling as it is widely understood.

From the Paper:

"The following paper briefly looks at the case of Michael A. Whren and James L. Brown and their unhappy experience with plainclothes police officers in the District of Columbia. Specifically, the paper will consider how the case addresses the issue of "pre-textual" stops (chiefly of minorities) and it will also consider how the stop made in the Whren case does not satisfy the requirements which need to be met for it to be deemed an instance of racial profiling. In the final analysis, the court ruling is a sound one that protects police officers from frivolous allegations of racism while also re-asserting the rights of citizens to be free of unwanted search and seizure. "

More papers on Racial Profiling in the Law:

• Essay # 64730 : "Racial Profiling in Theory and Practice"
• Essay # 43169 : "Racial Profiling in Law Enforcement"
• Essay # 58474 : "Racial Profiling in Policing"

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