Supreme Court Will Re-Hear UT-Austin Affirmative Action Case
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WASHINGTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The Supreme Court says it will dive back into the fight over the use of race in admissions at the University of Texas, a decision that presages tighter limits on affirmative action in higher education.
The justices said Monday they will hear for a second time the case of a white woman from Sugarland, Texas, named Abigail Fisher, who was denied admission to the university's flagship Austin campus. The university rejected Fisher's application, while she claims, it accepted those of her classmates who had lower test scores and less participation in extracurricular activities.
The conservative-leaning federal appeals court in New Orleans has twice upheld the university's admissions process, including in a ruling last year that followed a Supreme Court order to reconsider the woman's case.
The new president of the University of Texas says the school's use of race in some admissions creates a diverse student body that's an educational benefit.
School President Greg Fenves says the policy is ``narrowly tailored'' and constitutional.
Most of the student body enters under the state's so-called ``top 10 percent rule'' and the school includes race as a factor in reviewing additional applicants who meet a formula for personal achievement.
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