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.

Answer 1

Plessy v. Ferguson exemplified judicial restraint because the Court deferred to state law and existing social policy by upholding "separate but equal," leaving questions of racial segregation to legislatures rather than substituting its own social or moral judgment. Brown v. Board of Education demonstrates judicial activism because the Court overturned precedent and used the Equal Protection Clause to actively reshape national policy, mandating desegregation to correct constitutional injustices.