Affirmative action in terms of a current event

Sample Solution

  Supreme Court to Hear Case on Affirmative Action in College Admissions The Supreme Court is set to hear a case that could have a major impact on affirmative action in college admissions. The case, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, challenges the University of Texas's use of race as a factor in admissions.

Full Answer Section

  The plaintiff, Abigail Fisher, was denied admission to the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. Fisher argued that she was denied admission because she is white, and that the University of Texas's use of race as a factor in admissions is discriminatory. The Supreme Court has already ruled on affirmative action in college admissions twice, in Bakke v. Regents of the University of California (1978) and Gratz v. Bollinger (2003). In Bakke, the Court ruled that race could be used as a factor in admissions, but only as one of many factors. In Gratz, the Court ruled that the University of Michigan's affirmative action program was too rigid and gave too much weight to race. The case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin is likely to be the most significant case on affirmative action in college admissions since Bakke. The Court's decision could have a major impact on the way that colleges and universities use race in admissions. Peer Reply: I agree that the case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin is likely to be the most significant case on affirmative action in college admissions since Bakke. The Court's decision could have a major impact on the way that colleges and universities use race in admissions. I am interested to see how the Court will rule in this case. I believe that affirmative action is a necessary tool to address the effects of past discrimination. However, I also believe that affirmative action should be used fairly and that it should not give an unfair advantage to any one group. I am hopeful that the Court will reach a decision that strikes a balance between these two concerns.