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MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2003

The Supreme Court today issued two decisions on the University of Michigan's affirmative action policies.

By a 5-4 vote, the court upheld the law school's admissions program. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the majority opinion and was joined by the liberal-leaning justices.

In a separate decision, the court struck down the school's undergraduate policy by a vote of 6-3. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote for the majority, saying that the use of a point-based system, in which minority students are given 20 points for their race, is unconstitutional.

The rulings relied on the court's 1978 ruling on affirmative action, which upheld the use of race under limited circumstances.

The law school case is Grutter v. Bollinger, No. 02-241. The undergraduate case is Gratz v. Bollinger, No. 02-516.

Get the Story:
In Split Decision, Court Backs Affirmative Action (AP 6/23)
Supreme Court Splits on Diversity Efforts at University of Michigan (The New York Times 6/23)
Username: indianzcom, Password: indianzcom

Get the Decision:
Grutter v. Bollinger | Gratz v. Bollinger

Oral Arguments:
MP3: Excerpt | Transcript: Grutter v. Bollinger | Transcript: Gratz v. Bollinger | Real Audio: Both Hearings

Amicus Briefs:
Tribes in Michigan and Wisconsin | U-Mich minority student law associations | New Mexico minority bar associations

Relevant Documents:
Supreme Court Docket Sheet No. 02-241 | Brief: Grutter | Brief: University of Michigan | Brief: Department of Justice

Holdings Below:
Appeals Court: GRUTTER v. BOLLINGER, No. 01-1447, 01-1516 (May 14, 2002) | District Court: GRUTTER v. BOLLINGER (March 27, 2001)

Relevant Links:
University of Michigan, Admissions site - http://www.umich.edu/~urel/admissions
Center for Individual Rights - http://www.cir-usa.org

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