Supreme Court sends Texas affirmative-action plan back for stricter review

The Supreme Court decides Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin on June 24, 2013. Abigail Fisher challenges the university's limited consideration of race in admissions after most seats are filled through Texas's Top Ten Percent Plan. The Court does not end affirmative action, but it tells the lower court to apply stricter review to whether the policy is narrowly tailored. The case keeps race-conscious admissions under close constitutional pressure. The decision begins a new round of Supreme Court scrutiny over how universities may use race to address exclusion and promote diversity.