In a victory for affirmative action, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the right of schools to consider race as a factor in admissions in Grutter v. Bollinger, the lawsuit over the University of Michigan's law school admissions policy.  In a 5-4 decision, the justices ruled that the policy's use of race was narrowly tailored to grant the benefits of diversity to the school.

In a related case at the undergraduate institution, the court ruled 6-3 to strike down the point-based admissions system, which granted African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans 20 extra points on a 150-point scale.  However, they did not reject idea that the university could consider race during the application process to foster diversity.

Calling diversity "a fundamental part of education," United University Professions president William Scheuerman lauded the court's willingness to maintain the principles of affirmative action.  However, he cautioned affirmative action supporters to temper their celebration until the ruling's full impact has been felt.

"We'll have to see the reaction across the country, particularly in terms of the undergraduate ruling.  I think you're going to see a lot of political battles, and hopefully you won't see institutions backing off on their commitment to diversity," said Scheuerman, also an AFT vice president.

The AFT filed an amicus brief with the University of Michigan and joined demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments in April.  The AFT has long supported the principles of affirmative action, working with educators to remove barriers for minority students and ensure equal opportunity.

"The Supreme Court has reaffirmed the core American values of equal opportunity and fairness and strengthened our nation's commitment to a higher education system that affirmatively opens its doors to all," said AFT president Sandra Feldman.

Justices O'Connor, Breyer, Stephens, Ginsburg, and Souter comprised the majority. [Mark Henson]

[July 3, 2003]