Final answer:
Affirmative action is the practice of ensuring equal access to opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups. Court cases such as Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger had a significant impact on affirmative action.
Step-by-step explanation:
Affirmative action is the practice of ensuring that historically disadvantaged or underrepresented groups have equal access to opportunities in education, the workplace, and government contracting. It originated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and has drawn controversy ever since. The essential principles of affirmative action include eliminating discrimination, remedying the results of past discrimination, and preventing future discrimination.
Court cases such as Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger had a significant impact on affirmative action. In Gratz v. Bollinger, it was claimed that admission to the University of Michigan law school had been denied based on race or gender, but the Supreme Court ruled this practice constitutional. In Grutter v. Bollinger, the Supreme Court decided that affirmative action was allowable to diversify colleges and universities.