Carol Lani Guinier (1950-2022) was a prominent American legal scholar, civil rights theorist, and educator known for her work on democracy, race, gender, and the law. Born in New York City to parents of Jamaican descent, Guinier became the first Black woman to receive tenure at Harvard Law School, where she served as the Bennett Boskey Professor of Law from 1998 until her death. Her scholarship focused on the responsibilities of public interest lawyers, the interplay between law and democratic processes, the impact of race and gender on politics, affirmative action, and college admissions policies. Guinier's writings, including books like 'The Tyranny of the Majority: Fundamental Fairness in Representative Democracy' (1994), challenged traditional notions of majority rule and advocated for proportional representation to ensure minority voices in governance.

Guinier's career included a decade as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School from 1988 to 1998, following her work as a staff attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated her for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, but the nomination was withdrawn amid intense political opposition from conservatives who criticized her views on voting rights and accused her of supporting racial quotas—a controversy that earned her the derogatory label 'quota queen' from critics like Newt Gingrich. Despite this setback, Guinier continued to influence legal and political discourse, earning accolades for her contributions to civil rights and earning her a reputation as a leading liberal voice in American academia.

Guinier passed away in 2022 after complications from Alzheimer's disease, leaving a legacy as a trailblazer for women of color in legal education and a fierce advocate for racial justice. Her work remains influential in discussions on electoral reform and equity in higher education.