Good news from SCOTUS today:
The Supreme Court delivered another setback to affirmative action Tuesday, easing the way for states to bar public colleges from considering race in admissions and to prohibit officials from taking race into account in hiring and contracting.
The decision upheld a constitutional amendment in Michigan voters approved in 2006, banning preferential treatment based on race, gender, ethnicity or national origin.
The outcome of the case was not a shock, but the lopsided, 6-2 vote signaled the court’s continuing rightward shift on issues of race.
Eight states now have bans on affirmative action. California lawmakers briefly considered a measure that would have turned back its ban on using affirmative action in public university admissions, but the proposal was dropped.
The court’s ruling is likely to embolden opponents of racial preferences, who have already outlined plans to put Michigan-style constitutional amendments on the ballot in states including Ohio, Missouri and Utah.
“The Supreme Court has made it clear that there’s no constitutional problem with banning preferential treatment… and that federal, state and local governments who want to do that can do so — and I hope that they will,” said Roger Clegg, president and general counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity.
