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A Conversation on the Constitution with Justice Anthony Kennedy: The Importance of the Yick Wo Case

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy discusses the landmark ruling in Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886) in which the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided that the unequal application of a law violated the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause and consequently the rights of a Chinese immigrant. Justice Kennedy examines the groundbreaking decision and the protection that the 14th Amendment provides for any person, regardless of citizenship.