 Book cover | |
| Author | Marjorie Heins |
|---|---|
| Original title | Cutting the Mustard: Affirmative Action and the Nature of Excellence |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Affirmative action |
| Genre | Law |
| Published | 1987 |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 213 |
| ISBN | 978-0-571-12974-4 |
| OCLC | 15653313 |
| Preceded by | Strictly Ghetto Property: The Story of Los Siete de la Raza |
| Followed by | Sex, Sin, and Blasphemy: A Guide to America's Censorship Wars |
Cutting the Mustard: Affirmative Action and the Nature of Excellence is a 1987 non-fiction book by civil libertarian and United States lawyer Marjorie Heins about the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and its relationship to affirmative action and sexism. Heins discusses the case of Nancy Richardson, dean of student affairs at the Boston University School of Theology, who was removed from her position by the school's administration in 1981. Heins represented Richardson in an unsuccessful lawsuit against Boston University for wrongful termination and sexism. Cutting the Mustard recounts the case, interspersing reflections on the lawsuit with a discussion of relevant case law, decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States related to affirmative action and multiple criticisms of contradictory court decisions in affirmative-action cases.
The book was positively received by the Harvard Law Review which recommended From Midterms to Ministry for further information. It was also reviewed by the Women's Review of Books, Women's Rights Law Reporter and California Lawyer. A review in Library Journal by a Harvard Law School librarian criticized the book for lacking a substantive analysis of the case.