On June 22, 2026, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear a case regarding police treatment of racial minorities. Alito stated that it is problematic to treat individuals differently based on statistical assumptions about their racial or ethnic group. The case, U.S. v. Donte J. Carter, involved a Black man whose firearm and theft convictions were overturned by the D.C. Court of Appeals, which ruled that police had seized him without reasonable suspicion. The court noted that Black Americans may be particularly distrustful of law enforcement, which influenced the ruling. Alito and Thomas argued that this approach requires law enforcement to differentiate based on race, contradicting the principle of a color-blind Constitution. Alito referenced previous cases to support his argument against treating individuals differently based on race, suggesting that this could lead to unfair assumptions about various minority groups.
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Supreme Court Justices Dissent on Racial Considerations in Police Encounters
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from a Supreme Court decision not to hear a case concerning police encounters with racial minorities. They argued that the ruling could force law enforcement to treat individuals differently based on race, which contradicts constitutional principles. The case involved a Black man whose convictions were vacated due to unlawful police seizure.
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Supreme Court Justices Dissent on Racial Considerations in Police Encounters