Question

The Supreme Court addressed the admissions policy of the University of Michigan Law School in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003). Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote for the court, "in the context of its individualized inquiry into the possible diversity contributions of all applicants, the Law School's race-conscious admissions program does not unduly harm nonminority applicants."

The primary issue of controversy in the Grutter v. Bollinger decision involves _________.

Answer 1

The primary issue of controversy in the Grutter v. Bollinger decision involves affirmative action.

Step-by-step explanation:

Barbara Stuart, a white student from Michigan, applied to the University of Michigan School of Law, but failed. At the time, the student's grade point average was 3.8 and her legal test score was 161 points. In 1997, the student filed a lawsuit against the university for violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Groot said that the school used race as the main reason for giving entrance to students, giving African Americans, Hispanics, and Indians more opportunities for admission than Caucasians or Asians.

The court finally said that the University of Michigan's pursuit of racial diversity aimed at adhering to the strong interests of the government for the purpose of educational benefits, so it was found not to violate the Equal Protection Clause.

In this context, affirmative action refers to socio-political measures that are intended to counteract negative discrimination against social groups in the form of social disadvantage through targeted benefits. “Affirmative” in this sense means the special confirmation and support of such groups. The approach is controversial because, according to critics, it replaces existing discrimination with renewed, opposite discrimination.