The Color of Law

A masterful explication of the single most vexing problem facing black America: the concentration of the poor and middle class into segregated neighborhoods. Rothstein documents the deep historical roots and the continuing practices in law and social custom that maintain a profoundly un-American system holding down the nation's most disadvantaged citizens.--Thomas B. Edsall, author of The Age of Austerity Original and insightful...The central premise of [Rothstein's] argument...is that the Supreme Court has failed for decades to understand the extent to which residential racial segregation in our nation is not the result of private decisions by private individuals, but is the direct product of unconstitutional government action. The implications of his analysis are revolutionary.--Geoffrey R. Stone, author of Sex and the Constitution Masterful...Rothstein documents the deep historical roots and the continuing practices in law and social custom that maintain a profoundly un-American system holding down the nation's most disadvantaged citizens.--Thomas B. Edsall, author of The Age of Austerity One of those rare books that will be discussed and debated for many decades. Based on careful analyses of multiple historical documents, Rothstein has presented what I consider to be the most forceful argument ever published on how federal, state, and local governments gave rise to and reinforced neighborhood segregation.--Wiliam Julius Wilson, author of The Truly Disadvantaged Through meticulous research and powerful human stories, Rothstein reveals a history of racism hiding in plain sight and compels us to confront the consequences of the intentional, decades-long governmental policies that created a segregated America.--Sherrilyn A. Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund This wonderful, important book could not be more timely...With its clarity and breadth, the book is literally a page-turner.--Florence Roisman, William F. Harvey Professor of Law, Indiana University Masterful...The Rothstein book gathers meticulous research showing how governments at all levels long employed racially discriminatory policies to deny blacks the opportunity to live in neighborhoods with jobs, good schools and upward mobility.--Jared Bernstein Virtually indispensable... I can only implore anyone interested in understanding the depth of the problem to read this necessary book.--Don Rose Essential...Rothstein persuasively debunks many contemporary myths about racial discrimination....Only when Americans learn a common--and accurate--history of our nation's racial divisions, he contends, will we then be able to consider steps to fulfill our legal and moral obligations. For the rest of us, still trying to work past 40 years of misinformation, there might not be a better place to start than Rothstein's book.--Rachel M. Cohen A powerful and disturbing history of residential segregation in America . . . One of the great strengths of Rothstein's account is the sheer weight of evidence he marshals. . . . While the road forward is far from clear, there is no better history of this troubled journey than 'The Color of Law.'--David Oshinsky The Color of Law is one of those rare books that will be discussed and debated for many decades. Based on careful analyses of multiple historical documents, Rothstein has presented what I consider to be the most forceful argument ever published on how federal, state and local governments gave rise to and reinforced neighborhood segregation. --Wiliam Julius Wilson, author of The Truly Disadvantaged