Diversity Issues: Supreme Court Sends Affirmative Action Case Back to Lower Courts

June 24, 2013

This morning, the Supreme Court released its decision on the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (11-345) case in regards to whether the university’s race-conscious admissions policies violated the equal protection rights of some white applicants. The 7-1 majority decision (read it HERE) sent back the case to the lower courts for further review. Although the court allowed the use of race, the decision will make it more difficult for institutions to use it to achieve diversity by requiring “strict scrutiny” as the standard.  For the full story, go HERE.  For a statement on today’s decision from attorney’s representing plaintiffs in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals case that recently held Michigan’s ban on affirmative action unconstitutional, go HERE.

More information will follow later today. For more information on the Bunche Center’s past research on diversity issues, click HERE.