100 Americans Making Constitutional History: A Biographical History presents 100 profiles of the key people behind some of the most important U.S. Supreme Court cases. Edited by Melvin I. Urofsky, a respected constitutional historian, each 2,000-word profile delves into the social and political context behind landmark Court decisions. For example, while a case like Brown v. Board of Education is about an important idea—the equal protection of the law—at its heart it is the story of a little girl, Linda Brown, who wanted to go to a decent school near her home. The outcome is accessible and objective “stories” about the individuals—heroes and scoundrels—who fought their way to constitutional history.

James Dale

James Dale

His Ousting from the Boy Scouts

“Never had any Plan … to Make Homosexuality an Issue”

Boy Scouts of America v. Dale 530 U.S. 640 (2000)

James Dale's story is that of an outstanding Boy Scout who, as an undergraduate in college, told the truth about his sexuality and, for following the Scout creed of honesty and integrity, was expelled from an organization he loved. James Dale joined the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in 1978, at the age of eight. He thrived as a Scout and within the next decade earned more than two dozen merit badges, was admitted into the highly selective Order of the Arrow, and attained the highest rank possible in scouting, the Eagle Scout—awarded to only a small percentage of Scouts. ...

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