Affirmative action is defined as, “admission policies that provide equal access to education for those groups that have been historically excluded or underrepresented, such as women and minorities” (“Affirmative Action Overview” n.p.). Affirmative action is a controversial topic when it comes to college acceptance and admissions. The Grutter v. Bollinger Supreme Court case concerning racial diversity in public colleges across America had greatly impacted many policies on affirmative action in regards to student admissions. The case involved Barbara Grutter and her dispute with the University of Michigan because she was denied acceptance to the university despite having qualified LSAT scores and GPA, and she argued that it was due to her not
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Bollinger court trials were particularly tedious. The case went to the Circuit Court, the District Court, and the Supreme Court ("Grutter v. Bollinger Case Summary" n.p.). Moreover, Grutter felt as though her denied acceptance to the school was due to the fact that she was not a racial minority. She argued that the university violated the “14th Amendment, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and 42 U.S.C. § 1981” ("Grutter v. Bollinger Case Summary" n.p.). The 14th Amendment states that, “‘ it forbids states from denying any person life, liberty or property, without due process of law’ or to ‘deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws’”("US Constitution 14th Amendment" n.p.). In the District Court, Grutter won by the court's decision that the University of Michigan’s policy on Affirmative Action was unlawful ("Grutter v. Bollinger Case Summary" n.p.). After, the case passed to the Sixth Circuit Court which ruled the opposite of the District Court. A 25 year old case, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), was used as a precedent to determine the verdict. The case handled a thirty-five-year-old white man who applied to The University of California Medical School at Davis and did not get accepted. The university accepts 100 students every year and specifically sets aside 16 spots for racial minorities as part of their affirmative action program. In the two years he applied, his test scores were …show more content…
The most prominent was President Ford, an alumni of the university ("A Look Back at Grutter v. Bollinger" n.p.). He supported their policies on affirmative action throughout their admittance procedure. His contributions included getting the support of retired military officials, including General H. Norman Schwarzkopf and Admiral William J. Crowe. This was a crucial part of the Grutter v. Bollinger case because it rallied support for the University of Michigan from United States citizens which, because of the favorable reputation Ford had with citizens, welcomed his opinions. Ford also submitted a letter, that included his thoughts on affirmative action, which was featured in the New York Times, as well as an article about the case, encouraging his approval of the university. His letter states, “If history had taught us anything in this remarkable century, it is the notion of America as work in progress” ("A Look Back at Grutter v. Bollinger" n.p.). Together Ford and the officials signed a statement showing their agreeance with affirmative action. Because of the reputation the officials had, the statement had such a large impact on the case that, legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said the generals signed what “may have been the most influential amicus brief in the history of the Supreme Court” ("A Look Back at Grutter v. Bollinger" n.p.). Surely, the actions of President Ford and
Bollinger court trials were particularly tedious. The case went to the Circuit Court, the District Court, and the Supreme Court ("Grutter v. Bollinger Case Summary" n.p.). Moreover, Grutter felt as though her denied acceptance to the school was due to the fact that she was not a racial minority. She argued that the university violated the “14th Amendment, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and 42 U.S.C. § 1981” ("Grutter v. Bollinger Case Summary" n.p.). The 14th Amendment states that, “‘ it forbids states from denying any person life, liberty or property, without due process of law’ or to ‘deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws’”("US Constitution 14th Amendment" n.p.). In the District Court, Grutter won by the court's decision that the University of Michigan’s policy on Affirmative Action was unlawful ("Grutter v. Bollinger Case Summary" n.p.). After, the case passed to the Sixth Circuit Court which ruled the opposite of the District Court. A 25 year old case, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), was used as a precedent to determine the verdict. The case handled a thirty-five-year-old white man who applied to The University of California Medical School at Davis and did not get accepted. The university accepts 100 students every year and specifically sets aside 16 spots for racial minorities as part of their affirmative action program. In the two years he applied, his test scores were …show more content…
The most prominent was President Ford, an alumni of the university ("A Look Back at Grutter v. Bollinger" n.p.). He supported their policies on affirmative action throughout their admittance procedure. His contributions included getting the support of retired military officials, including General H. Norman Schwarzkopf and Admiral William J. Crowe. This was a crucial part of the Grutter v. Bollinger case because it rallied support for the University of Michigan from United States citizens which, because of the favorable reputation Ford had with citizens, welcomed his opinions. Ford also submitted a letter, that included his thoughts on affirmative action, which was featured in the New York Times, as well as an article about the case, encouraging his approval of the university. His letter states, “If history had taught us anything in this remarkable century, it is the notion of America as work in progress” ("A Look Back at Grutter v. Bollinger" n.p.). Together Ford and the officials signed a statement showing their agreeance with affirmative action. Because of the reputation the officials had, the statement had such a large impact on the case that, legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said the generals signed what “may have been the most influential amicus brief in the history of the Supreme Court” ("A Look Back at Grutter v. Bollinger" n.p.). Surely, the actions of President Ford and