The Supreme Court debates affirmative action: 3 takeaways

There's a decent chance that the conservative-leaning court could strike down affirmative-action admissions policies at public universities

Plaintiff Abigail Noel Fisher
(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Fisher v. Texas, a case that is widely considered to be the most serious legal challenge to affirmative action in nearly a decade. The case had been brought by Abigail Fisher, who claims that she was denied admission to the University of Texas at Austin because she is white. Under the state's enrollment system, the top 10 percent of students in every Texan high school is automatically accepted into the state university of their choice. However, the universities consider race and ethnicity, among other factors, when they fill up the rest of their incoming freshman classes, a policy that UT officials say is necessary to reach a "critical mass" of minority students and encourage diversity. Opponents of the program say it violates the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law. Here, 3 takeaways from the case:

1. Affirmative action hangs in the balance

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us