Paxton, Cornyn, Cruz Ask U.S. Supreme Court to Stop Affirmative Action on College Admissions

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Texas is heavily overshadowed by two pivotal affirmative action cases in the U.S. Supreme Court that could change the way race is considered in US higher education admissions.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard back-to-back oral arguments in its challenge to the race-conscious admissions process used at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Seemingly leaning toward abolition, three liberal justices defended the practice. A decision is not expected until June.

Both lawsuits were brought by Students for Fair Admissions, a non-profit organization headed by Edward Blum, who played a key role in the longstanding legal challenge to the admissions policy of the University of Texas at Austin. After UT-Austin rejected a white undergraduate applicant, Blum recruited Abigail Fisher as the plaintiff in its 2008 challenge.National Supreme Court, 2016 barely supported UT-Austin has the right to give black and Hispanic applicants a small boost, but courts have become much more conservative since the 4-3 ruling.

More than 90 Harvard and UNC cases headed for Monday’s hearings amicus briefsaccording to SCOTUS BlogMany of them cited previous UT-Austin cases, some from Texas politicians, academics and affirmative action advocates.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton submitted an amicus brief Last year, Harvard University’s admissions process discriminated against Asian Americans, arguing that the country’s Supreme Court should overturn the Grutter v. Tightly regulated species-aware enrollment and advocated the ability to diversify the student population for educational benefit. participated in the brief It states that UNC practices are not viable “without unlawful racism.”

“The University of Texas was wrong. And the University of North Carolina and Harvard, who responded here, misunderstand them by denying Asian Americans equal admissions,” Paxton wrote recently. composite briefs.

For students seeking fair admission, the admissions process at Harvard is push down artificially Number of Asian American students accepted. In the case of UNC, the question is broader whether its model violates the Fourteenth Amendment, which requires equal protection under the law.

Paxton’s comments about UT, in particular, contrast with the Governor’s. Greg Abbott, supported the agency when he was the state’s attorney general. “Those who drafted and ratified the 14th Amendment did not establish the doctrine of a ‘colour-blind’ government so often advocated by those who oppose race-conscious confessions,” Abbott said. wrote briefly to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2011;

Thirty-three of Amicus Briefs support fair admission for students, and 60 support Harvard and UNC.

Over 80 U.S. Senators and Representatives — including 9 Texas Republicans such as U.S. Senators Ted Cruz When John Cornyn — sign on simple Filed in May 2022, it also challenged Grutter. It argues that the ruling violates the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race.

Jonathan Mitchell, former Attorney General of Texas and best known for being the driving force behind the state’s ban on abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy, said: Similar arguments On behalf of the right-wing group America First Legal, led by former President Donald Trump’s policy adviser Stephen Miller.

“[Title VI] Prohibits all forms of racism in federally funded colleges and universities, with no exceptions for “compelling interests,” “diversity,” and “rigorous scrutiny,” Mitchell wrote.

But more Texans are publicly advocating for affirmative action through the Amicus Brief.

Among politicians, three Texas Democrats — US Congressmen. Joaquin Castro, Silvia Garcia When Mark Vesey — sign on Overview for August 2022 Along with more than 60 other members of Congress calling on the Supreme Court to reaffirm Grutter.

“Like title VI [Brown v. Board of Education]has historically been used to dismantle racism and enhance educational opportunities for all Americans. It’s a perfect match for Grutter,” read the synopsis.

A Long-Term Analysis of Texas’ Top 10% Policy — Public Universities Automatically Enroll Top 10% of High School Classes Without Considering Race — It also shows that it did not A quick note that maintains and encourages expression.

Furthermore, similar to the briefs submitted by the Asian-American group, it emphasized that Asians are not a cultural monolith and that many ethnic groups of Asian descent benefit from affirmative action. For example, 75% of Indian Americans in the United States have a college degree, rate It drops to 32% for Vietnamese Americans and 17% for Laotian Americans.Pew Research Center also Discovered in 2018 Asians are ‘the most economically fragmented group in America’

This critique of the model minority myth perpetuates the idea that Asians are a successful and deserving minority,racial wedge” Against Black Americans — Also Endorsed by over 1,200 social scientistsincluding nearly 50 based at the University of Texas.

“The idea that race-sensitive admissions policies discriminate against Asian Americans relies on and perpetuates harmful stereotypes of Asian Americans.” simple From the Asian American Advocacy and Education Foundation representing over 120 organizations and individuals, including OCA Greater Houston.

“Opponents of race-conscious policies have long relied on this racist stereotype of Asian Americans to make other communities of color ‘social and economic mobility’. We need to work harder to achieve

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin is a financial backer of The Texas Tribune, a non-profit, bipartisan news organization funded in part by donations from its members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial backers play no part in Tribune journalism.find the perfect here is a list of them.