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Race-based admissions upheld

White students' rights not violated by Michigan law school

By Gregory Robb, CBS Marketwatch.com

Last Update: 10:22 AM ET June 23, 2003

WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - The Supreme Court has upheld university admissions policies aimed at promoting racial diversity.

In a slim 5 to 4 vote, the court said that the University of Michigan's race-conscious admissions policies were constitutional.

In a majority opinion, written by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the court found that the law school's race-conscious admissions program was narrowly tailored and did not violate white students' constitutional rights to equal treatment.

The court found that the equal protection clause under the Constitution does not prohibit the law school's "narrowly tailored use of race in admission decisions to fulfill a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body."

This is the first Supreme Court ruling on race preference in college admissions since 1978. Legal experts have said the ruling could have ramifications far beyond college admission procedures.

Many large corporations filed friend of the court briefs defending their own diversity programs.

There were two cases, but only one was decided. One challenged the university's law school admission program, which gives African American and other minority students special consideration in order to ensure that there are some minorities in each law school class.

The court did not rule on a second case, which challenged Michigan's undergraduate school policy to give minorities an automatic 20-point bonus on the school's 150-point rating system.