Court Says Yes to English-Only Tests

Hey California!! All but english tests should be given in at least two languages.

Hitler Cosgrove of CA 10:08AM January 09, 2012

English is the national language in the United States, therefore anyone who lives in the United States should learn how to speak it read it and write it, even if it is their second language. What the courts decided is right. Do you think that English speaking children learning abroad are given their tests in English? No, they respect and learn the language of the country they are studying in.

K. smith of MA 8:18AM October 08, 2010

The 14th Amendment says that States must provide equal protection of the laws to everyone. The courts have diluted the original words so that the state can allow unequal treatment when there is a good reason for it. The Supreme Court wobbles between strict scrutiny, especially on race, and mere convenience on aqlmowst every thing else. This Amendment was largely ignored from 1883 ("The Civil Rights Cases") to 1954 (Brown v. Board of Education). Whenever there is a large enough class being discriminated against, the Court tends to pay attention. One or two students speaking an obscure language can be ignored because it is impractical to require tests to be translated (essentially rewritten). "Hispanic" is essentially a racial classification, and in California it is very big. In general, the Court does not allow a state to discriminate on race unless there is no practical alternative. Hawaii was forbidden to discriminate against non-Hawaiian in the election of trustees for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The state may not intend to discriminate, but it is discriminating. The Supreme Court is so strict on racial discrimination that it has overturned affirmative action plans that favor African-Amricans that lack certain reasons. Thus in the University of Michigan cases it rejected the hard quota plan for undergraduates and upheld a law-school plan that argued many reasons why Michigan lawyers should have a few African-American classmates. This is a federal (14th Amendment) case and will reach the Supreme Court. It could be 6-3 against Californiq. I would imagine that a wise Latina judge will have enormous influence in conference on the case. I would expect her to vote against California, but who can say what she will think on this question. We must wait and see. There are precedents either way.

nihil of HI 4:01PM October 08, 2009

Mary, you are way too paranoid. I am assuming you are White because Whites are the only ones who see a Black or Hispanic around every corner. Relax and hug a Hispanic today!!

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MisCool of VA: Well most blacks speak English as their native language so I don't see the point of pulling them into the debate except of course to scream your tired old "racism" charges to shut down discussion of the issue. But since you brought it up, black Americans suffer the most from cultural and job displacement brought on by the Spanish-speaking immigrants' refusal to accept our language. Blacks who have lived for generations in parts of California, for instance, can no longer get even minimum-wage burger-flipping jobs because they don't speak Spanish. And they often don't have the resources to learn it.

MaryJ of CA 6:26PM August 24, 2009