Michigan Affirmative Action Cases to Be Argued April 1
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 3/28/2003
On April 1, 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument on two cases challenging the affirmative action programs at the University of Michigan - one involving the law school, the other involving the University's undergraduate program. Both cases raise the critical issue of whether and under what circumstances public universities can consider race as one of the many factors in the admissions process. In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled that campus diversity can be a "compelling governmental interest" that justifies reasonable, narrowly tailored affirmative action programs at universities.The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund have filed a friend of the court brief in support of the University of Michigan's affirmative action programs. More resources and information on the lawsuits can be found in the new civilrights.org section on the University of Michigan cases.
Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil
Rights is available to comment on the April 1st Supreme Court oral
arguments, the organization announced.
