Supreme Court rules in favor of race-conscious college admissions
Affirmative Action upheld in a 4-3 vote, backing UT Austin
The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to UT Austin’s race-conscious admissions program on Thursday.
The result is a major victory for Affirmative Action campaigners. The vote was won 4-3, and only seven justices participated after Elana Kagan recused herself due to prior work on the case.
Within UT’s admissions program, the top students in every high school in the state are guaranteed admission – which is often referred to as the “Top 10 Percent program.” This program has led to significant ethnic and racial diversity.
The case challenged the second part of UT’s admissions program, in which all other students are considered based on factors including academic achievement as well as race and ethnicity. The Supreme Court has previously upheld free standing admissions programs, allowing colleges to consider race and ethnicity as a factor to achieve educational diversity.
Hillary Clinton spoke in favor of the ruling: “The Supreme Court’s decision today in Fisher v. University of Texas is a win for all Americans. It means that universities can continue to make diversity and inclusion central goals of their admissions processes, and means our college campuses will continue to be places where young adults of all backgrounds can learn from each other.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision affirms a basic truth about our country: we are stronger together.”