Supreme Court upholds race-conscious law school admissions in Grutter

The Supreme Court rules in Grutter v. Bollinger on June 23, 2003, upholding the University of Michigan Law School's limited consideration of race in admissions. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor writes that student-body diversity can be a compelling interest. The Court says the program is narrowly tailored because it reviews applicants individually and does not use a quota. The decision preserves affirmative action in higher education for another generation. The ruling defines the constitutional framework for race-conscious admissions until the Court later reverses course in 2023.