Publication Date
4-1-2013
Document Type
Article
Organizational Units
Sturm College of Law
Keywords
Civil rights, Richard Thompson Ford, litigation, activism, essentialism
Abstract
Richard Thompson Ford does not care much for the current state of civil rights. In his provocative new book, Rights Gone Wrong: How Law Corrupts the Struggle for Equality, Ford lends an original, if often misdirected, voice to the chorus of contemporary critics of the American legal regime of rights. Situating himself among "second generation" rights critics (p. 259), Ford lays out a comprehensive indictment of current approaches to civil rights litigation as well as civil rights activism. His work is both intriguing and provocative, and it raises a number of issues that are surely worth serious consideration and discussion. As argued in this Review, however, while his goals are laudable, his project is ultimately unsuccessful.
Publication Statement
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Originally published as Alan K. Chen, Rights Lawyer Essentialism and the Next Generation of Rights Critics, 111 Mich. L. Rev. 903 (reviewing Richard Thompson Ford, Rights Gone Wrong: How Law Corrupts the Struggle for Equality (2011))
Recommended Citation
Alan K. Chen, Rights Lawyer Essentialism and the Next Generation of Rights Critics, 111 Mich. L. Rev. 903 (reviewing Richard Thompson Ford, Rights Gone Wrong: How Law Corrupts the Struggle for Equality (2011)).