Professor Richard Delgado was one of 16 constitutional law professors who helped Time magazine identify the best and worst Supreme Court decisions since 1960.
Time surveyed more than 50 legal scholars and received 34 responses. Decisions that championed civil and individual liberties or made democracy more participatory were repeatedly praised, while professors were more critical of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), which removed campaign-spending limits on corporations and unions, as well as Bush v. Gore (2000), which resulted in George W. Bush winning the 2000 presidential election.
Delgado chose Loving v. Virginia (1967) as the best decision. “The decision, which legalized interracial marriage, put the last nail in the coffin of the South’s system of racial apartheid.”
He selected Citizens United v. FEC (2010) and Bush v. Gore (2000) as the worst decisions. “Citizens United because it departed from precedent and distorted the political process in ruinous fashion; Bush v. Gore because it was unprincipled, result-driven, and exposed the court to well-deserved scorn.”
For more, read “The Best Supreme Court Decisions Since 1960” and “The Worst Supreme Court Decisions Since 1960.”