The Color of Law
The Color of Law
by Richard Rothstein
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A verb that refers to a borrower’s failure to repay a loan, which can have various consequences depending on the circumstances. In the case of home mortgages, default can often result in foreclosure. But Rothstein also uses the term metaphorically, to talk about how the government has violated its own “constitutional obligations” to citizens.

Default Quotes in The Color of Law

The The Color of Law quotes below are all either spoken by Default or refer to Default. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
De Jure vs. De Facto Segregation Theme Icon
).

Chapter 7 Quotes

The consequences of racially targeted subprime lending continue to accumulate. As the housing bubble collapsed, African American homeownership rates fell much more than white rates. Families no longer qualify for conventional mortgages if they previously defaulted when they were unable to make exorbitant loan payments; for these families, the contract buying system of the 1960s is now making its return. Some of the same firms that exploited African Americans in the subprime crisis are now reselling foreclosed properties to low- and moderate-income households at high interest rates, with high down payments, with no equity accumulated until the contract period has ended, and with eviction possible after a single missed payment.

Related Characters: Richard Rothstein (speaker)
Related Symbols: Homeownership
Page Number and Citation: 113
Explanation and Analysis:
Although Rothstein’s book focuses on discrimination during the 20th century, he emphasizes that this discrimination is far from over: obtaining quality housing remains much more difficult for African American people than for white Americans in the 21st century, and de jure segregation is alive and well. The 1968 Fair Housing Act made huge strides toward stopping discrimination, but did not do nearly enough to stop segregation or to prevent government agencies, private institutions like banks, and the real estate industry from finding technically-legal ways to continue systematically discriminating against African American people and, in many cases, profiting from that discrimination. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapiente. Cum sunt quo. Accusamus veritatis voluptatum. Rerum est et. Aut autem sit. Soluta dolor fuga. Debitis ut est. Inventore qui voluptas. Velit corporis saepe. Distinctio veritatis enim. Natus inventore perspiciatis. Eaque labore vel. Libero sunt eum. Est libero quia. Dolor eum doloremque. Omnis enim iusto. Ipsa quia nesciunt. Doloremque et omnis. Aut sint debitis. Velit ut id. Id aut omnis. Adipisci id doloribus. Quis nihil perspiciatis. Deleniti qui aut. Ipsam quisquam illum. Qui et fugit. Et dolorem
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Default Term Timeline in The Color of Law

The timeline below shows where the term Default appears in The Color of Law. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4: “Own Your Own Home”
De Jure vs. De Facto Segregation Theme Icon
Racism, Profit, and Political Gain Theme Icon
...then built “a half-mile concrete wall” between them and got his loan approved. When homeowners defaulted and the FHA foreclosed on their homes, it ensured that only “real estate brokers who... (full context)
Chapter 6: White Flight
De Jure vs. De Facto Segregation Theme Icon
Racism, Profit, and Political Gain Theme Icon
...properties to decline,” and in turn threaten the FHA’s own finances by making white people default on their mortgages. The FHA had no evidence for this—it could only site one anecdotal... (full context)