----Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2003

Contacts: Susan Serrano or Allegra Churchill, EJS, (415) 288-8700

Equal Justice Society Applauds U.S. Supreme Court Decision in University of Michigan Law School Admissions Case

Statement by Eva Paterson, Executive Director

The Equal Justice Society (EJS) applauds the U.S. Supreme Court's strong reaffirmation that universities and law schools may take race into consideration as one factor among many in admitting students. Today the Court sent a clear message that America's educational institutions can ensure meaningful access to higher education, genuine equality and diversity by employing specific affirmative action programs that take race into account. It is a great victory for racial justice when the highest court in the land acknowledges that the government has a compelling interest in promoting racial diversity in education.

In a 5-4 decision by Justice O'Connor, the Court acknowledged that the rationale for upholding the University of Michigan School of Law admissions policy reaches beyond higher education to other areas of civic life, including leadership, the military, business and government: "[T]he diffusion of knowledge and opportunity through public institutions of higher education must be accessible to all individuals regardless of race or ethnicity. . . . Effective participation by members of all racial and ethnic groups in the civic life of our Nation is essential if the dream of one Nation, indivisible, is to be realized."

In upholding the Law School admissions program, we are extremely pleased that the Court acknowledged that the high legal standard used to review the programs must take "relevant differences' into account," as we argued in our amici curiae brief. In our brief on behalf of Coalition for Economic Equity, the Santa Clara University School of Law Center for Social Justice and Public Service, the Charles Houston Bar Association, the California Association of Black Lawyers, and the Justice Collective, we argued that classifications designed to promote inclusion by removing historical barriers are deserving of greater judicial respect, especially in the Court's assessment of whether the program is "narrowly tailored" to its purpose.

This decision recognizes that a diverse and racially integrated student body benefits all students. We hope this ruling gives our colleges, universities, and graduate schools the confidence to implement creative, just and robust admissions programs that ensure that all of our children have an opportunity to receive the best education possible.

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