In 2003 the Supreme Court issued two opinions related to affirmative action, specifically university policies that use race as a factor in admissions decisions. Both cases involved the University of Michigan. In one case, the Court rejected an undergraduate admissions process that assigned points to an admissions score for anyone who as a racial minority. In another case, the Court upheld a law school admissions process that included race as one of many factors used to evaluate an application.

In a brief (350-word) essay, describe each case.

Include ALL

Explain which of these two cases represents the best balance between the competing claims of the university (to pursue diversity) and the prospective students (who want to be treated fairly in the admissions process).

Explain your choice. A complete answer should:

Identify the parties and legal issue in Gratz v. Bollinger Explain the court’s decision and reasoning in this case. Identify the parties and legal issue in Grutter v. Bollinger. Explain the court’s decision and reasoning in this case. Identify one case as best balancing the competing interests at stake. Explain why you selected one case over the other.

You should be able to find everything you need to answer these questions at oyez.org.

Affirmative Action .

https://www.pbs.org/video/crash-course-government-and-politics-32/

Grutter vs Bollinger

Gratz vs Bollinger

https://www.oyez.org/cases/2002/02-516