Supreme Court Upholds Michigan Affirmative Action Ban

Michigan voted to end some affirmative action in 2006. It was the controversial "Proposal 2" to amend the Michigan Constitution.

A case to stop Proposal 2 made it to the Supreme Court and now the SCOTUS has upheld Proposal 2.

Specific issues were involved and one sensitive one was about ending racial preferences in college admissions.

The Court said the Michigan Amendment does not violate the U.S. 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.

On Apr. 22 in Schuette v. BAMN the Supreme Court of the United States held 6-to-2 that a Michigan constitutional amendment ending racial preferences in many aspects of state government does not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The Fourteenth Amendment was adopted in 1868 after the Civil War. One of its clauses forbids any state from denying any person “equal protection of the laws.” The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the central purpose of that clause is to end racially discriminatory state laws.

In 2003, the Supreme Court allowed certain racial preferences to continue nationwide in two 5-to-4 decisions concerning admissions at the University of Michigan. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was the deciding vote in both cases, one of which allowed (but did not require) “reverse” racial discrimination to remedy past discrimination.

Supreme Court Upholds Michigan Affirmative Action Ban


"Victory" or "Set Back" ?

Precedent ?

a reply to: xuenchen

VICTORY. Affirmative Action was the setback. Continuing discrimination against some to make up for past discrimination against others is just...discrimination. And it's RACISM, not 'reverse racism' of which there is no such thing.

So wonderful to read this. Hopefully this begins a chain reaction.

originally posted by: xuenchen
"Victory" or "Set Back" ?

Neither. It's irrelevant. The University of Michigan has already said that they're still going to take into account factors other than academic achievement when considering applications for entrance. The State of Michigan and other levels of government are still going to follow EEOC. From a practical standpoint not much is going to change in this state.

In the words of Immortal Technique

"Affirmative action ain't reverse discrimination
That sh*t is a pathetic excuse for reparations"

I tend to agree with this.. So..

a reply to: xuenchen

Victory.

Why should a poor white kid need to get a higher grade than a middle class black kid to get into a good college?

I'm not saying other factors than your actual scores/exam results aren't important. We've found from UK studies of graduates those from poor families and crap schools with moderate grades at 18 did as well as the better kids from private schools with slightly better grades.