The last time the U.S. Supreme Court took up affirmative action, a law school’s admission policies were in the line of fire. The justices in 2003 voted, 5-4, to uphold the University of Michigan Law School’s consideration of race in admissions, provided the school did not resort to actual quotas and that race was part of a “holistic review” of applicants.
The court will grapple with a similar question on October 10 when it hears oral arguments in Fisher v. University of Texas. Fisher doesn’t center on a law school, but the law school community has rallied around the university, filing amicus briefs defending affirmative action in higher education.
