Today (June 23), the Supreme Court of the United States ruled to uphold Affirmative Action policies at the University of Texas at Austin.
In 2008, Abigail Fisher filed a lawsuit against the university after she was denied admission, and she claimed that the school’s diversity standard was too vague to justify admitting students based on their race. In other words, Fisher believed that she would have been admitted to the university had the slots not been filled with students that met the school’s “vague” standards for affirmative action admission.
According to NBC News, the initial lawsuit was met with a victory for the university, but Fisher appealed and the verdict of that appeal is what has been decided today.
“The court’s affirmance of the university’s admission’s policy today does not mean the university may rely on that same policy without refinement,” Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion for the court. “It is the university’s ongoing obligation to engage in constant deliberation and continued reflection regarding it’s admissions policies.”