Final answer:
In 2003, the Supreme Court of the United States addressed affirmative action in university admissions at the University of Michigan in Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger cases, affirming the law school’s use of race as a ‘plus factor’ but rejecting the undergraduate point system.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 2003, the United States Supreme Court ruled on two cases involving admissions policies at the University of Michigan, namely the case of Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger. These cases were pivotal in the history of affirmative action in America. The Grutter case upheld the University of Michigan Law School's admission policy which included race as a "plus factor", thus supporting the goal of achieving a diverse student body as per the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. However, the Gratz case struck down the undergraduate policy that assigned points for race, as it was found to be too rigid.
The majority in Grutter v. Bollinger held that the Law School had a compelling interest in attaining diversity and that their policy was narrowly tailored to achieve that interest. The decision had long-term impact, but in a subsequent public referendum in 2006, Michigan voters chose to ban affirmative action in state education, which countered the Grutter case's influence in Michigan directly.