Tyranny of the Majority: Funamental Fairness in Representative Democracy

(Paperback)

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When she first collected and made widely available her writings on voting rights, Lani Guinier opened an important national debate. Her book revealed a committed scholar, challenging the civil rights movement to progress beyond the tactics of its past 25 years. Here, Guinier explores the democratic dilemma of majority rule when it unfairly infringes on minority rights - for example - when majorities are fixed and persistent - which is precisely what can occur when voters are racially motivated. She also offers concrete proposals to transform our system of representation so that it can have legitimacy for all citizens.

Author Bio

Lani Guinier was the first woman of color appointed to a tenured professorship at Harvard Law School in 1998. In the 1980s, she served as a lawyer with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and was the Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights during the Carter Administration. She has published Becoming Gentlemen, Lift Every Voice, and The Miners Canary.