As the decade closed, advocates on either side of gender and race issues could be forgiven for feeling a bit schizophrenic. During the past 10 years, the courts weighed in on a series of exceptionally high-profile social cases — with rulings that left both sides unsatisfied.
Perhaps the biggest liberal win was Grutter v. Bollinger, in which the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, upheld the affirmative action policies at the University of Michigan while suggesting that such policies could one day be struck down. “I think the only obvious upside in this last decade, I’d say, would be” Grutter, said John Payton, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.In contrast, this year, the Court handed down a decision allowing a local utility district in Texas to seek relief from requirements under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, opening the door for other jurisdictions. Justices also ruled for white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., who said they were denied promotions because of their race.
