Saint Francis College v. Al-Khazraji (1986)
- Docket
- 85-2169
- Decided
- 1986-01-01
Summary
Question: Did 42 U.S.C. Section 1981 apply to Arab minorities? Conclusion: Yes. The Court held that persons of Arabian ancestry were protected from racial discrimination under Section 1981. Writing for a unanimous Court, Justice Byron R. White maintained that section 1981 encompassed discrimination even among Caucasians. Justice White noted that history did not support the claim that Arabs and other present-day "Caucasians" were considered to be a single race for the purposes of section 1981. Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., in a separate concurrence, added that "Pernicious distinctions among individuals based solely on their ancestry are antithetical to the doctrine of equality upon which this nation is founded."