(Daily Caller) The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Monday in two lawsuits which will decide whether two prominent universities’ use of race-based admission policies is constitutional.
In the two cases, Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina (UNC) and Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard, the court will consider arguments that the universities’ race-conscious admissions policies lead them to unlawfully discriminate against certain groups such as Asian-Americans. Students for Fair Admissions, a non-profit that fights race-based policies, is asking the court to overrule Grutter v. Bollinger, a landmark case which found affirmative action admissions policies that favor certain races do not violate the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause; if the group is successful, the court would then prohibit the universities from considering race during the college admissions process for the purpose of diversifying its institutions.
Students for Fair Admissions argues that Harvard University uses race-conscious admission policies to put a specific limit on the number of minorities it accepts into the university and has failed to increase its diversity. UNC, Students for Fair Admissions argues, allegedly gives preference to certain minorities over Asian-American and white students as a result of their policies which consider socioeconomic factors in admissions, violating the groups’ rights.
Jennifer Gratz (R), CEO of XIV Foundation and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette speak during a press conference outside the Supreme Court after going before the Supreme Court in “Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action” on October 15, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
