Question

the supreme court decision in what case led many affirmative action opponents to believe that the court may have been on its way to abolishing affirmative action completely?

Answer 1

Many affirmative action opponents felt that the Supreme Court might abolish affirmative action following the Grutter v. Bollinger case, where the Court upheld the University of Michigan Law School's affirmative action admissions policy. Previous landmark cases like Regents of the University of California v. Bakke barred racial quotas but supported other affirmative action forms.

Step-by-step explanation:

Opponents of affirmative action believed that the Supreme Court might be on its way to abolishing affirmative action following the Grutter v. Bollinger case. In a tightly contested 5-4 decision issued on June 23, 2003, the Court upheld the affirmative action admissions policy at the University of Michigan Law School. This decision was essential in affirming the constitutionality of considering race as a factor in admissions processes to promote diversity within colleges and universities.

Previous Landmark Cases

Earlier landmark cases paved the way for this ruling. The Regents of the University of California v. Bakke decision in 1978 was a significant precursor that challenged the use of quotas for minorities, concluding such quotas violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, this same decision also supported the continuation of other forms of affirmative action that did not establish fixed quotas.

Overall, while the Grutter v. Bollinger case indicated a willingness by the Supreme Court to uphold certain forms of affirmative action, it did not signal the complete abolition of such policies.

Answer 2

Step-by-step explanation:

The Supreme Court decision in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (2013) led many affirmative action opponents to believe that the Court may have been on its way to abolishing affirmative action completely.

In this case, a white student named Abigail Fisher challenged the University of Texas at Austin's use of race as a factor in its admissions process. Fisher argued that the university's affirmative action policy violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as well as federal civil rights laws.

The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the University of Texas, upholding the constitutionality of its affirmative action policy. However, the decision was a narrow one, with the Court emphasizing that universities must show a compelling interest in using race as a factor in admissions, and that they must use race-neutral alternatives whenever possible.

While the Fisher decision did not abolish affirmative action outright, many opponents of affirmative action saw it as a significant setback for the policy, as it signaled that the Court was becoming increasingly skeptical of the use of race in university admissions. Some opponents of affirmative action saw the Fisher decision as a step towards a future Supreme Court decision that could potentially abolish affirmative action altogether.