Affirmative Action In Supreme Court Cases

Great Essays
The views on affirmative action vary widely in public opinion. This paper describes one aspect of affirmative action, where it applies to admission policies at the University of Michigan. Two United States Supreme Court cases, Grutter v. Bollinger(2003) and Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action(2014) played major roles in the passing and constitutionality of The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative that became part of Michigan law on December 22, 2006. To realize the impact of this law, one must be mindful of the background information pertaining to Michigan’s current affirmative action policies.
In 1997, Barbra Grutter, after being denied admission into the University of Michigan Law School, filed a lawsuit first in the local district court system alleging discrimination on the basis of
…show more content…
(2014). The Kurt Lewin Change Management Model. Retrieved June 10, 2014, from Change Management Coach: http://www.change-management-coach.com/kurt_lewin.html
Freed, B. (2014, April 22). U.S. Supreme Court upholds Michigan 's ban on affirmative action in college admissions. Retrieved August 1, 2014, from Michigan Live: http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2014/04/post_16.html
GRUTTER v. BOLLINGER, 02-241 (United States Supreme Court June 23, 2003). Retrieved August 4, 2014, from http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2002/2002_02_241/
Harper, P. S., & Harper, D. (2014). Eight Steps to Overcoming Organizational Resistance. Retrieved June 20, 2014, from Business Advancement Inc.: http://businessadvance.com/the-harper-report/eight-steps-to-overcoming-resistance/
Marker, A. (2013). 10 Strategies You Can Use to Overcome Resistance to Change. Retrieved June 18, 2014, from https://opwl.boisestate.edu/wp-content/uploads/news-A_Marker_Handling_Resistance_to_Change_v4b.pdf
Norcross, D. (2010, April). The Importance of the Follow-up. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from Lynchburg Busines Magizine:

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Slaughterhouse Cases: The state of Louisiana made a monopoly of slaughtering operations and sold it to one specific company, eliminating all other companies against their will. The companies said that since it was not voluntary, it was considered involuntary servitude, and infringed on their equal protection rights and also burdened their access to liberty and property without due process. The first section forbids the landing or slaughtering of animals whose flesh is indented for food within certain boundaries. Another section authorizes the company to establish and erect within certain territory, one large scale slaughterhouse is to exist and the rest are not allowed business within those territories. Also, all other stock landings and slaughterhouses are to be closed as a result of this case.…

    • 1749 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fisher was not in the top ten percent of her high school’s graduating class in Sugarland, Texas, so she competed for admission with other non-top ten percent in-state applicants. Fisher was denied admissions into The University of Texas at Austin. Fisher filed suit against the…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Not only does this case deal with the concept of affirmative action and racial quotas, but also the equal protection clause in the Fourteenth Amendment, which states that no business or state shall deny a person based on their race or sex. Allan Bakke, the defendant in this case, actually applied to the university two…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Introduction Most leaders in organizations make use of Kotter’s work when they want to implement change in their operations. The model operates within eight different tenets and helps organizations to change their operations speedily, with perfect results. The other important model in this category is by Lewin model, which has three different steps. The three tenets for Lewin, also provide organizations and leaders an effective way of approaching change. The two models and their comparisons are vital for study, hence the need for their evaluation in this review.…

    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This is a heated age and the policy of affirmative action is a controversial topic. Ever since it was first introduced in the 1960s, the court has affected the use of affirmative action significantly because its rulings upheld the policy’s constitutionally and made it more acceptable to the public. To begin with, it is important to acknowledge that the court was not the only arena in which affirmative action policies have been challenged. It has also been challenged in arenas such as college admission and the job application process. In my opinion, the case of Brown v. Board of Education had a significant impact on the introducing the affirmative action.…

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Shelby steels view’s on affirmative action aligns with the neo-conservative view. He recaps on the theory explaining that affirmative action and other entitlement programs stem from the presence of white liberal guilt. He recognizes this as the guilt which roots from the ill- intentions and actions of their ancestors which motivates them to sponsor and advocate for these government assistance programs. White liberals believe that by installing a program, which is intended to elevate the black community in an already developed society, they have indirectly cleared their guilty consciences. Steels states, “In a very real sense, entitlement programs for blacks serve the personal interests of whites as well.”…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Grutter Vs Bollinger

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Court, in a 7 to 1 decision authored by Justice Kennedy, found that the courts below gave too much deference to the university and failed to apply appropriately strict scrutiny. Adopting a tougher standard than either Bakke or Grutter, the Court said, "The reviewing court must ultimately be satisfied that no workable race-neutral alternatives would produce the educational benefits of diversity. If a nonracial approach could promote the substantial interest about as well and at tolerable administrative expense, then the university may not consider race." Justice Ginsburg dissented, finding that Texas satisfied the Grutter/Bakke standard, while Justice Thomas, concurring, would have overruled Grutter and banned all consideration of race in the admissions process.…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    On June 23rd of 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas At Austin, also known as Fisher II, affirmative action was fair and that Miss Fisher was not cheated out of a spot at UT Austin. Affirmative action is the act of benefiting people of an underprivileged group who presently or historically have known to be victims of inequity or discrimination. In terms of college applications, it means that African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics are prioritized over Caucasians and Asians. Miss Fisher claimed that people of color who had less credentials than her got into UT Austin, and that the only difference between her and applicants who got into the college was the color of their…

    • 1565 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Dear University of Texas, Austin Office of Admissions, I write this letter to you in regards to your race-based affirmative action program that has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court as of 2013. Just a few years ago, a woman by the name of Abigail Fisher challenged your affirmative action program created to increase the enrollment of minority students. The Supreme Court decided in favor of this program, and by doing so, upheld the use of race-based affirmative action in higher education, specifically in your institution (“Equality” 1). I believe that after the Supreme Court’s decision, rather than continuing the use of race-based affirmative action, you should have taken a closer look at your admission process and made changes accordingly.…

    • 1939 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Grutter Vs Billinger

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Despite the Supreme Court’s upholding the constitutionality of affirmative action practices in Grutter v. Bollinger, the use of the state ballot to enact policies that ban the practice is a growing phenomena affecting higher education policy. While the process is considered to be an exercise of democracy, it undermined the efforts of institutions of higher education to further the educational and democratic goals in our society, which in the words of the U.S. Supreme Court involves “cultivating a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry” (Garces, 2012, p.…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Affirmative Action Case Study

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 4 Works Cited

    As it is now, it facilitates the entrance to college to minorities of the higher classes. In its current form, affirmative action is well intentioned, but it is rather ineffective, and it sets itself up for causing a stir among whites who feel that minority status is taking precedent over academic performance, and calling this practice reverse discrimination. The case against the University of Michigan is a prime example of this. But William Symonds has a solution that would not only allow for more racial integration, but with race not playing a big role, if any roll at all in being a factor in deciding college admissions. Basing affirmative action off of financial need, with the money provided for the less fortunate to attend four-year universities would not only draw from the pool of minorities that make up a large portion of the lower classes, it would also give everyone a truly equal opportunity to attend college.…

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 4 Works Cited
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Affirmative action is used in a good amount of employment and university systems. In Chandler Smith’s case affirmative action was used to decide who qualified for the five spots left to those who fit the school’s definition of diversity. Chandler being rejected when applying to the spot caused a two sided argument rise on if Chandler deserved to have been accepted or not. One side claims that she did not fit the description they were looking for for diversity and the school is allowed to do such a thing. The other argues Chandler should have been allowed to go because of her economic background and it is a violation to the restrictions surrounding affirmative action.…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Achieving Racial Equality

    • 2514 Words
    • 11 Pages

    The case background is that Duke Power Company would only hire African- Americans if they had a high school diploma and passed a test, they then would get hired into one out of their 5 operating departments which was called the “labor” department. Where the highest wage being paid in the labor department was the lowest wage being paid in any other department and also if an African-American got promoted they would start back at the lowest part of the ladder for new department. The United States court ruled this a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, because the high school diploma or the two test that were taken in order to get hired were not required according to the description of the…

    • 2514 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Affirmative action policies allow for equal opportunity and throughout history have helped end discrimination in the workforce as well as many different type of organizations. Minorities are given the opportunity to compete for job opportunities and admissions to educational institutions. However, not everyone agrees with these types of policies and believe that this is a form of “reverse discrimination” against white individuals (1). These individuals argue that minorities that include people of color and women are given preference and although the qualifications may be the same amongst all, the minorities will be granted the opportunity simply because of their skin color or gender. In “Affirmative Action and Fairness” Robert Fullinwider discusses how affirmative action is viewed differently…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    It is important that the message be sent loud and clear to all employees within the organization that the change must be attacked with an extreme sense of urgency. It is also important for the top level of the organization to have a realistic plan in implementing change. Many times top level management overestimates how many big changes they can force early on. They also underestimate how hard it is to drive people out of their comfort zones (Kotter, 1996). In order to achieve this management must create a powerful…

    • 1777 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays