No American court had ever required an institution to compensate an enslaved person’s descendant

Evidence

Thankfully, Ben had the last word and ended with a powerful summary: “Judge, I implore you to let Renty finally make his case in court and to the world, even if it’s a hundred and seventy years later. Your honor, this court has the power to make the law an instrument for good, not to be used as a weapon to oppress by the enemies of equality. This was a landmark case. If Ms. Lanier is granted an opportunity, this could be the first time in history that an American institution has been required to make a lineal descendant of an African slave whole according to the American system of justice.” — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 1189

Categorization

• SEED: The ‘first time in American legal history’ framing is an angle for an essay on reparations litigation precedents — how property claims by descendants have fared in courts.