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June 23, 2016      5:08 PM

Supreme Court leaves key question in Fisher v UT unanswered

No expectation the decision will have broad impact on other universities, with the exception that UT’s combination of the Top 10 Percent Rule and holistic review could be used by others to be considered constitutional

Today’s decision out of the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the current admission standards at the University of Texas at Austin, but left the core question of the original case unanswered.

That didn’t stop supporters, including The Leadership Council on Civil and Human Rights, from hailing this morning’s opinion on race-conscious admissions as a continued commitment to the principles of 2003’s Grutter v Bollinger decision and an acknowledgement of racial diversity as a desired educational benefit on college campuses.

“The ruling does not create any additional limitations on race,” said attorney Marissa Bono of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund on a conference call. “Instead, it reiterates race is instrumental in creating the educational benefits of diversity on a college campus. It was a ‘factor of a factor of a factor’ in a holistic review. This is just another step in a long line of challenges that show diversity is a compelling interest.”

By Kimberly Reeves