Why I Hate the Disparate-Impact Approach to Civil Rights Enforcement and You Should Too

Mr. Clegg will speak about the “disparate impact” theory as a means of civil rights enforcement.  Roger will specifically address the recent argument before the United States Supreme Court in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., in which the Court will decide whether disparate-impact claims are cognizable under the Fair Housing Act.

Roger Clegg is President and General Counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity. He focuses on legal issues arising from civil rights laws—including the regulatory impact on business and the problems in higher education created by affirmative action. A former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Reagan and Bush administrations, Clegg held the second highest positions in both the Civil Rights Division (1987-91) and in the Environment and Natural Resources Division (1991-93). He has held several other positions at the U.S. Justice Department, including Assistant to the Solicitor General (1985-87), Associate Deputy Attorney General (1984-85), and Acting Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy (1984). Clegg is a graduate of Yale University Law School (1981). He currently lives in Fairfax, Virginia.