17.2.11

Civil Rights: Interest Groups

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Interest Groups and Rights

Interest groups in the US and UK can be used to protect civil rights.

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US interest groups 1

  • In the US interest groups can protect rights by sponsoring civil rights cases which are brought before the Supreme Court.
    • The Citizens United interest group sponsored the case over campaign financing in the 2010 Citizens United v FEC case.
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US interest groups 2

  • Interest groups in the US can submit amicus curiae briefs to the courts where they look to influence the court on case rulings.
    • In the 2003 Gratz v Bollinger and 2003 Grutter v Bollinger cases, supporters of the University of Michigan’s affirmative action admissions programme sent briefs to the court.
    • In 2007 the NARAL Pro-Choice America pressure group submitted a briefing to the Supreme Court in the 2007 Gonzales v Carhart case on abortion.
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UK interest groups 1

  • UK interest groups use the court to effectively uphold the rights of their members.
    • Child Poverty Action Group brought a case against the Government to the High Court which challenged the two child limit which was introduced by the 2016 Welfare Reform and Work Act.
    • Countryside Alliance contested a ban on fox hunting in the High Court.
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UK interest groups 2

  • Pressure groups lobby the courts in cases which rule on the infringement of the rights of certain groups.
    • Pressure groups supported both sides in the 2016 Supreme Court case where a bakery owner in Northern Ireland was prosecuted for refusing to make a cake with the slogan supporting same-sex marriage because of his religious beliefs.
    • The customer’s case was supported by gay rights interest groups whilst the bakery owner was supported by the Christian Institute.

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