affirmative action

Myths about affirmative action being discriminatory against Asian Americans helped spread a narrative that college admissions meant to increase diversity were actually racist.

If they do what it sounded like they will do, it will end the ability of colleges and universities, public and private, to consider race as one factor in admissions.

"One-man legal factory" Edward Blum is the conservative activist behind the group Students for Fair Admissions, which sued Harvard and the University of North Carolina in cases before the Supreme Court.

The justices are re-examining decades of precedent allowing affirmative action policies. This time, however, there is every likelihood that the court will overrule some or all of those precedents.

The court will hear two cases challenging the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

With the court already having heard arguments this term on abortion and guns, this case marks yet another politically charged issue that threatens to uproot decades of legal doctrine.

Conservatives now have a 6-to-3 majority — a vote to spare on any given issue. Experts expect the new majority to move aggressively on an agenda more conservative than any seen since the 1930s.

Polls show that Americans broadly support the concept of affirmative action but oppose preferential treatment for minorities in college admissions.

In a 4-3 decision, the court ruled that the university's "race-conscious admissions program" is constitutional.

For the second time, the University of Texas must defend its limited use of race and ethnicity in admissions decisions.