ABSTRACT
This chapter details the contemporary situation in the major branches of government, and highlights the increased representation of members of racial and ethnic minority groups. It discusses the most important stage of the public policymaking process for racial and ethnic minorities. Federalism, which involves the division of powers among the various layers of government—national, state, county, municipal—presents opportunities for access to the public policy process but barriers to effective, efficient policymaking. The Supreme Court is often viewed as merely the final authority on constitutional issues, determining whether previous and current lower court judicial decisions, executive decisions, and legislative acts are constitutional. The courts provided a forum in which the pro-civil rights coalition could appeal to "right" rather than to political power. Policymaking in the area of equal educational opportunity shifted from a focus on overturning a loathsome judicial precedent to implementing a favorable one.
