The American Bar Association filed an amicus brief Monday with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the court to adhere to its prior decisions allowing consideration of race as a factor in the higher education admissions process.
The closely watched cases involve Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. In both, the issue is whether the two schools can employ admissions policies that consider race as one of several factors consistent with the court’s past decisions, including its 2003 ruling in Grutter v. Bollinger.
The ABA brief said the association has “a profound interest” in the use of such policies by educational institutions because they are a training ground for students who will eventually enter the legal profession. It also stressed that a diverse bench and bar are critical to minimizing implicit bias among lawyers and “inspiring greater public faith in the rule of law because they help signal to a diverse citizenry that their perspectives and interests are being taken into account.”
“Eliminating race-conscious admissions policies would inflict great harm on the legal profession and the nation,” the ABA brief said. “Such policies play a vital role toward eliminating the taint of racism from our justice system and from other areas where lawyers perform vital functions. These admissions policies also ensure a more racially diverse legal profession and judiciary, which are essential to the legitimacy of our legal system and to the legal profession’s ability to better serve the needs of our diverse society.”
The brief noted that the Supreme Court has “long recognized that a principal benefit of admissions policies that consider race as one factor ... is the creation of diverse student bodies” that help break down racial biases and stereotypes. Overturning Grutter, it added, “would deprive the legal system of this important tool ... and put at risk the benefits of diversity resulting from admissions policies that consider race as one of many factors.”
The law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, & Garrison LLP filed the brief pro bono on behalf of the ABA.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://legalnews.com/subscriptions
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://test.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
