Law School in Plain English: Torts & Criminal Law.

Law School In Plain English: Hidden Verdicts - “The Law That Said ‘Everyone’s Equal’—Until You Were Chinese”


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You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Equal protection under the law.”

But what happens when the law looks fair on paper… and is used unfairly in real life?

In this episode, Jeff dives into one of the most overlooked Supreme Court cases in U.S. history — Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886) — where a Chinese laundry owner in San Francisco stood up to a city ordinance that claimed to be “neutral,” but was anything but.

This story isn’t just a history lesson — it’s a Hidden Verdict brought into Law School in Plain English. Because behind every rule lawyers memorize, there’s a human story that shaped it.

We’ll break down how this one man’s fight redefined the meaning of fairness, equal protection, and what the Constitution really promises — all in plain, clear English.

🎧 The law isn’t just about statutes and citations — it’s about people. And sometimes, those people change everything.


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Law School in Plain English: Torts & Criminal Law.By Jeff Brown

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