What Does “De Jure” Mean?
There are a number of contexts in which people might describe something as being de jure. For example, in American history, women were not given the right to vote until 1920, when the 19th Amendment was ratified, allowing women to vote de jure. However, many women were denied the right to vote through de facto policy long after this in communities where people disagreed with the suffragist movement. The contrast between de facto practice and de jure practice often comes up when discussing discrimination. Many nations have clear de jure laws on the books which are meant to curb discrimination against ethnic minorities, women, and people of unconventional sexual orientation. However, in some of these cases, de facto practices continue to promote discrimination despite the clear legal mandate. Because of the de jure attempts to stamp out discrimination, proving de facto discrimination can actually get quite tricky, because people and organizations that practice discrimination are careful
