{"id":2120,"date":"2018-07-26T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2018-07-26T13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=2120"},"modified":"2018-07-25T15:30:38","modified_gmt":"2018-07-25T20:30:38","slug":"the-supreme-courts-impacts-on-race-and-admissions-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2018\/07\/26\/the-supreme-courts-impacts-on-race-and-admissions-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"The Supreme Court\u2019s Impacts on Race and Admissions in America"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_2128\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2128\" style=\"width: 533px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/44768401@N07\/4122924644\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2128\" src=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2018\/07\/4122924644_e765e62cc4_z-600x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2018\/07\/4122924644_e765e62cc4_z-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2018\/07\/4122924644_e765e62cc4_z-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/files\/2018\/07\/4122924644_e765e62cc4_z.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2128\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Matt Wade, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brett Kavanaugh&#8217;s recent nomination for Supreme Court Justice faces much opposition from Congressional Democrats and other progressive political groups. These groups express concerns over a possible <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/policy-and-politics\/2018\/7\/12\/17564048\/brett-kavanaugh-roe-wade-views\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">overturning of <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/10\/us\/politics\/brett-kavanaugh-abortion-guns-environment.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">redaction of climate change policies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/theappeal.org\/what-brett-kavanaugh-on-the-supreme-court-would-mean-for-criminal-justice\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">implementation of more punitive criminal justice policies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This political contention is crucial, as Supreme Court justices and their rulings can have far-reaching impacts.\u00a0<\/span>One area where the Court has been highly influential is shaping how colleges and universities consider applicants\u2019 racial identity during their admissions decisions.<\/p>\n<h5>In the 1960s and 1970s, several colleges voluntarily implemented admissions programs designed to boost the presence of underrepresented racial minorities and women within their student bodies. These policies became known as \u201caffirmative action,\u201d a highly politicized issue since its inception. During the 1978 case, <em>Regents of the University California v. Bakke<\/em>, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of racial quotas and thresholds, but Justice Lewis F. Powell stated that pursuing \u201cdiversity\u201d is a constitutional goal. His written opinion affirmed colleges\u2019 right to pursue a diverse student body and therefore consider applicants\u2019 race in admissions, albeit with several considerations and under a standard of \u201cstrict scrutiny.\u201d<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/utm.utoronto.ca\/sociology\/faculty-staff\/berrey-ellen\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellen C. Berrey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2011. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0896920510380069\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why Diversity Became Orthodox in Higher Education, and How it Changed the Meaning of Race on Campus<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Critical Sociology\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">37(5): <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">573-596.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/steinhardt.nyu.edu\/faculty\/Lisa_Stulberg\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lisa M. Stulberg<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sociology.northwestern.edu\/people\/faculty\/core\/anthony-chen.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anthony S. Chen<\/span><\/a>.<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a02014. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0038040713514063\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Origins of Race-Conscious Affirmative Action in Undergraduate Admissions: A Comparative Analysis of Institutional Change in Higher Education<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sociology of Education<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 87(1): 36-52.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/uwf.edu\/cassh\/departments\/communication\/our-faculty\/faculty-profiles\/kelly-carr.html\">Kelly Carr<\/a>. 2018. <a href=\"http:\/\/msupress.org\/books\/book\/?id=50-1D0-4467\"><i>The Rhetorical Invention of Diversity: Supreme Court Opinions, Public Arguments, and Affirmative Action<\/i><\/a>. Michigan State University Press.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>Since <em>Bakke<\/em>, The Supreme Court has ruled on affirmative action in cases such as <em>Gratz v. Bollinger<\/em> in 2003, <em>Grutter v. Bollinger<\/em> in 2004, and <em>Fisher v. University of Texas<\/em>, which appeared before the Court in both 2013 and 2016. In each instance, the \u201cdiversity\u201d rationale in the <em>Bakke<\/em> ruling was upheld; colleges have been allowed to consider race in admissions under certain conditions. Yet, several scholars note that prioritizing \u201cdiversity\u201d often ignores issues regarding privilege, access, and racial inequities in America. The Supreme Court inspired a defense of race-based policies in admissions for the sake of promoting a cosmopolitan, worldly, &#8220;diverse&#8221; college experience. By contrast, the original proponents of affirmative action highlighted the need to address pervasive racial inequalities in America, inequalities that persist today.<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sociology.tamu.edu\/moore-wendy\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wendy Moore<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cla.umn.edu\/about\/directory\/profile\/jmbell\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Joyce Bell<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2011. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0896920510380066\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maneuvers of Whiteness: \u2018Diversity\u2019 as a Mechanism of Retrenchment in the Affirmative Action Discourse.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Critical Sociology<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 37(5): 597-613<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.washington.edu\/directory\/profile.aspx?ID=1134&amp;vw=media\">Mario L. Barnes<\/a>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.berkeley.edu\/our-faculty\/faculty-profiles\/erwin-chemerinsky\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Erwin Chemerinsky<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.americanbarfoundation.org\/faculty\/ResearchCommunity\/William_H__Neukom_Fellows_Research_Chair_in_Diversity_and_Law\/Meet_Our_Past_William_H__Neukom_Fellows_Research_Chairs_in_Diversity_and_Law\/Angela_Onwuachi_Willig.html\">Angela Onwuachi-Willig<\/a>. 2015. \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uclalawreview.org\/pdf\/62-2-1.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Judging\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opportunity Lost: Assessing the Viability of Race-Based Affirmative Action after <em>Fisher<\/em><\/span><em> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">v. University of Texas<\/span><\/em><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UCLA Law Review<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 62: 271-305.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ellenberrey.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellen Berrey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2015. <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/press.uchicago.edu\/ucp\/books\/book\/chicago\/E\/bo19910067.html\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Enigma of Diversity: The Language of Race and the Limits of Racial Justice<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">University of Chicago Press. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/publicpolicy.unc.edu\/people\/candis-w-smith\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Candis W. Smith <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umb.edu\/academics\/cla\/faculty\/sarah_mayorga-gallo\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sarah Mayorga-Gallo<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 2017. \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0731121417719693\">The New Principle-Policy Gap: How Diversity Ideology Subverts Diversity Initiatives<\/a>.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sociological Perspectives<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 60(5): 889-911.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The history of race-based policy and the Supreme Court illustrates how the Supreme Court justices can shape public policies and social problems. It is likely that anti-affirmative action lawsuits will appear before the Supreme Court again (see Margaret M. Chin and Syed Ali\u2019s recent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/specials\/merit-and-the-admissions-debates-at-harvard-university-and-stuyvesant-high-school\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TSP feature<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0race, merit, litigation, and school admissions procedures). For now, it is unclear whether the Supreme Court will continue to rely on\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bakke<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0or turn to a different rationale in the future. Thus, as the nomination and confirmation process for the next Supreme Court justice plays out, we can be sure that many people will be keeping a close eye on proceedings. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brett Kavanaugh&#8217;s recent nomination for Supreme Court Justice faces much opposition from Congressional Democrats and other progressive political groups. These groups express concerns over a possible overturning of Roe v. Wade, redaction of climate change policies, and implementation of more punitive criminal justice policies. This political contention is crucial, as Supreme Court justices and their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[124,13,85,14],"tags":[1053,83,43,31356,105289,2526,38547,470,641,34,123,78,38541,2901,105283,321,4109,38546,38542,37569,4225,105285,1430,105282,524,1255],"class_list":["post-2120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-crime","category-inequality","category-politics","category-race","tag-admissions","tag-affirmative-action","tag-college","tag-college-admissions","tag-cosmopolitan","tag-court","tag-crime","tag-discrimination","tag-diversity","tag-education","tag-ethnicity","tag-higher-education","tag-inequality","tag-institutional-racism","tag-judge","tag-law","tag-multicultural","tag-politics","tag-race","tag-racial-identity","tag-racial-inequality","tag-regents-v-bakke","tag-supreme-court","tag-supreme-court-justice","tag-systemic-racism","tag-university"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2120"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2130,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120\/revisions\/2130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}