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Facts
The Plaintiff in this litigation was Barbara Grutter and the defendant is Lee Bollinger. Grutter, a white woman, had graduated from Michigan State University with a Grade Point Average of 3.81. She had been an entrepreneur and offered services as a Health Care Information Technology Consultant before she decided on a career move in 1996 when she took the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and scored 161 points. She learnt to her dismay that she had been rejected denied admission despite her LSAT score ranking her on the 86% percentile, while applicants from minority groups who scored lower grades and scores were admitted. This led to a suit against Lee Bollinger, the President of the University of Michigan on grounds of illegal discrimination.
Issue
Can a government-funded institution adopt race-conscious policies in the admission of students without violating the Fourteenth Amendment, Title VI of The Civil Rights Act of 1964?
Holding
No. In a 5-4 opinion, the U.S Supreme Court upheld the University of Michigan race-conscious affirmative action policy reasoning that the policy did not unduly harm non-minority applicants and that it was important to have a diverse student body. The ruling in this litigation set a judicial precedent that other suits would follow depending on the facts of the case.
Court Summary
The court argued that diversity was largely useful in education since students were in a better position to understand diverse racial backgrounds. Applicants are assessed based on a variety of factors, not only on their academic prowess and this implies that those who score highly are not necessarily assured of admission into the institution. The court emphasized the importance of diversification in teaching and equipping students with the requisite leadership skills which would enable them to practise law in an environment that was diverse both on an ethnical and racial basis, to help break down racial stereotypes. Ginsburg, Breyer agreed by stating that minority students faced unequal chances about education.
Comments
The Grutter vs. Bollinger case ruling has been embraced by several institutions of higher learning in the United States since hindering the implementation of race-conscious admission policies adversely affects the minority groups due to the inequality of the education opportunities in public institutions. The Supreme Court is political because its decisions are confined to the dominant political opinions of the entire nation. Justice O’ Connors legal decisions was to a large extent based on the views of the military, business community and leaders of institutions of higher learning.
The implementation of affirmative action policies ensures that there is equality in the education sector regardless of racial and ethnic differences, which translates into an integrated and diverse society. By ensuring that students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds communicate with each other, there is reduced racial bias and enhanced multiracial understanding. The rejection of the plaintiff’s demands by the courts was a positive development since it allows for freedom of speech and thought for universities.
On the other hand, some leaders of higher institutions believe that race-conscious affirmative action may give the minority group the notion that they are entitled to preferences and make them highly dependent. Overall, the case contributed massively towards the fight for equality in a nation that is economically, racially and politically unequal.
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