Equal Protection (Affirmative Action) cases

What are the affirmative action cases?

• Gratz

• Fisher

• Bakke

• J.A. Croson

• Grutter

• Schuette

What did Gratz hold?

University of Michigan's undergraduate points based admissions policy violated the Equal Protection Clause.

What did Fisher hold?

that the University of Texas at Austin's admissions policy was subject to strict scrutiny and upheld the use of race as one factor among many in admissions decisions. (holistic review and percentage plan case)

What did Bakke hold?

That racial quotas in admissions were unconstitutional, but the consideration of race as a factor in admissions was permissible.

What did J.A. Crosson hold?

struck down a local affirmative action program requiring a certain percentage of city contracts to be awarded to minority-owned businesses, ruling that it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

What did Grutter hold?

that the University of Michigan Law School's affirmative action policy was constitutional, allowing race to be considered as one factor in a holistic admissions process.

What did Shuette hold?

that Michigan voters had the right to ban affirmative action policies in public university admissions, upholding a state constitutional amendment that prohibited such practices. (This ruling affirmed that states can determine their own policies regarding affirmative action.)