French Affirmative Action Based upon Spatial Inequalities: the case of inner city “Neighborhood Law and Justice Centres”

In 1998, the French Parliament enacted a law regarding the struggle against discrimination . In response to this legislation, the French Minister of Justice implemented a new judicial structure (the "Houses of Law") in areas which had been defined as "districts in difficulty" or "areas where the law is not applied anymore." The purpose of this structure was to provide advice to inner city inhabitants within these Houses of Law with the aim to reduce inequalities between the citizens who can hire private lawyers and the ones who cannot.

First, this research examines the means by which the French Government implemented these affirmative action policies, which are an obstacle in the state's pursuit of the principle of equality; a fundamental precept of the French Republic . Instead of focusing on people, governmental policy targeted geographic areas, specifically inner city. Secondly, this research studies the work of private lawyers operating within the public sector judicial structures and asks whether these "Houses of Law" are equitable arrangements for all citizens due to their locational situation.