Question

In 1-2 sentences, develop an argument to support the concept of judicial restraint in the Supreme Court's decisions of Plessy v. Ferguson and the concept of judicial activism in the Supreme Court's decision of Brown v. Board of Education. In my own words

Answer 1

In Plessy v. Ferguson the Court practiced judicial restraint by deferring to state lawmakers and existing social arrangements, limiting itself to a narrow reading of the Constitution so it would not substitute its judgment for that of the political branches even though that upheld segregation. By contrast, in Brown v. Board of Education the Court acted as a judicial activist by overturning prior precedent and using a broad interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause to correct deep racial injustices and drive nationwide policy change.