Supreme Court upholds Michigan's ban on affirmative action

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that citizens can legally nix affirmative action at the ballot box, thus upholding Michigan's voter-approved referendum banning the practice in college admissions.

By a vote of 6-2 (Justic Elena Kagan was recused), the court ruled that voters can alter their state constitutions to end affirmative action, as Michigan did via referendum in 2006. The court stressed that it was not ruling on the constitutional merits of affirmative action itself, but rather solely on the power of citizens to rewrite their state laws through the proper legal channels.

Here's the relevant bit, from Justice Anthony Kennedy's majority opinion:

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The case arose after the high court in 2003 ruled that Michigan's affirmative action program was constitutional. Following that ruling, affirmative action opponents launched a successful referendum to amend the state constitution to ban it statewide in higher education.