在美國，很少問題能像種族問題般，引起如此多的爭議。甚至到現在，許多占多數的白人對於非洲裔美國人的偏見與歧視依然仍未消除。因此，為了保障這些非洲裔的美國人之權利，美國的法院也做出了不少的相關判決。而這些判決對於政府所制定的種族政策，產生了極大的影響，但是也同時地引發了不少爭議，法院因此變成了政府在制定種族政策的先進機關。法院對公共政策的影響力因此不但是一項非常重要的課題，可是在公共政策的研究領域上又往往被忽略掉。所以本文正是試著從法律與政策上的觀點，研究並分析美國的法院，尤其是聯邦最高法院，如何去影響並制定種族平等與優惠措施上的政府之種族政策。
In the United States, there are few problems like racial issues, which have aroused so many debates. Even today, the prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory actions directed by many of the white majority toward African-Americans are not yet ironed out. In order to protect and improve those African-Americans' rights, the courts have made many decisions. These judicial decisions have great influence on racial policy, and they are also highly argued subjects. Courts have become the leading institutions in the legitimation of public policy about racial issues. Courts' influence on public policy is an important topic in the study of public policy but it is easily neglected. This paper intends to study and analyze how the courts, in particular the Supreme Court, influenced and formed the government policy about racial equality and affirmative action in the United States from both the viewpoints of law and policy.
