Supreme Court Says States May End Affirmative Action

“A splintered Supreme Court voted 6-2 that states may end racial preferences without violating the U.S. Constitution,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The case came from Michigan, which in 2006 passed a voter initiative ending racial preferences. A federal appeals court had struck down the measure, finding that it served to disadvantage minorities in the political process.”

“Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for a plurality, said that the case wasn’t about resolving the debate over affirmative action, but rather ‘who may resolve it.’ He wrote the Constitution doesn’t forbid voters from ending the practice, which was instituted by officials at the University of Michigan and other state agencies.”