A Landmark Supreme Court Case

1
A Landmark Supreme Court Case

• The controversy surrounding University of
  Michigans admissions policy

April 2003
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Background Information

• Grutter vs. Bollinger and Gratz vs. Bollinger
  (1997)
• Barbara Grutter was denied admission to
  Michigans law school
• Jennifer Gratz and Patrick Hamacher were denied
  entrance to the undergraduate program
• They feel that giving minorities extra credit in
  admissions violates the 14th Amendments
  guarantee of equal protection.

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Are the admissions plans used by the University
of Michigan to boost minority enrollment
constitutional?
The question to be answered
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Defense Arguments

• The plan is needed to increase racial diversity
• Freshman class minority populations could drop
  from about 15 to 5 without it

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Arguments against the Plan

• The plan constitutes a quota system, which courts
  have already declared unconstitutional
• "The white person in rural northern Michigan
  should get the same preferences as a black person
  in an inner-city school."

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How do students feel about this?

• Thousands of college students- most of them black
  supporters of affirmative action- demonstrated
  outside the courtroom. Some signs said Fight for
  Equality and Never Turn Back.

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How do students feel about this?

• A study by Harvard professor Gary Orfield showed
  "overwhelming support" by U-M and Harvard
  students for maintaining admissions policies that
  get racially diverse students.
• "Sure, they're in already," retorted Justice
  Antonin Scalia. "The people you want to talk to
  are the high school seniors ... who have seen
  people visibly less qualified than they are get
  into prestigious institutions where they are
  rejected.
• "If you think that is not creating resentment,
  you are just wrong."

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Supreme Court Justices who will likely support
Michigan

• John Paul Stevens
• David Souter
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Stephen Breyer

Note Justice ClarenceThomas, the courts only
black justice, opposes affirmative action
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Alternatives to race-based admission plans

• Increase college-prep programs in minority
  schools as early as middle school.
• Guarantee university spots to top students at
  predominantly high minority schools.
• Texas and Florida use these methods

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Two articles were used in this presentation

• "Justices debate race, college admissions" by
  Joan Biskupic, USA TODAY
• "Challenge of Diversity" USA TODAY