Abstract

Diary of a Mad Law Professor

This article focuses on the visa system of the United States based on skin color, ethnicity looks etc. The author that February is Black History Month, that time when the nation ceaselessly invokes the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. School bulletin boards everywhere vaunt "then and now" displays of how far the people of the U.S. have come, thanks to a revolution premised not merely on nonviolence but on love. He then focuses on then, Federal District Court Judge Stanley Sporkin's recent ruling questioning the legality of State Department visa "profiles" of foreign applicants based on skin color; ethnicity, looks, speech and-remarkably enough-fashion sense. Judge Sporkin's holding, which affects only one the U.S. consulate in Brazil and not consulates worldwide (where similar policies hold sway), reinstated visa officer Robert Olsen, who claimed that he was wrongly fired for failing to follow the guidelines. A government spokesperson denies that any applicant is refused because of ethnicity or nationality.