WisBar News
June 23, 2003
U.S. Supreme Court splits on school admissions race preferences
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold University of Michigan's affirmative action policy in law school admissions.
U.S. Supreme Court splits on school admissions race preferences
June 23, 2003
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold University of Michigan's
affirmative action policy in law school admissions. The decision
validates the policy allowing law schools to take race into
consideration, to create a "critical mass" of minority students,
overtaking some other factors like grade point average and standardized
test results. The majority found that the education that flows from a
diverse student body is now a "compelling state interest."
In a 6-3 decision, the Court overturned the undergraduate system that
granted a significant number of additional points (20 out of 150) to
Black, Hispanic, and Native American applicants.
