harvard asian lawsuit supreme court


population. [17] Furthermore, Card reported that if SFFA's analysis showed that the personal ratings assigned to Asian Americans were unexpectedly poorer, Asian Americans also unexpectedly scored higher on the academic rating than other racial groups, which would add complexity to the claim that Harvard is intentionally discriminating against Asian Americans. [1] Plaintiffs and commentators have compared the treatment of Asians with the Jewish quota in place in the early 20th century, which used the allegedly deficient one-dimensional personalities of immigrant Jews and their alleged lack of leadership potential as the reason for excluding non-legacy Jews in elite universities. Brief amicus curiae of Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute filed. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. [2] The court heard oral arguments in mid-2020 and ultimately ruled in late 2020 in favor of Harvard, concluding that Judge Burroughs had not erred in her ruling and major factual findings. Brief amicus curiae of National Association of Scholars filed. Race wasnt introduced into admissions as a new factor corrupting an original intent to select on class, or on pure academic performance in high school, or to determine somehow who truly deserves the precious admissions slots. [19][20][21], The case was paused until the Supreme Court issued its decision in Fisher II on June 23, 2016. (in 21-707). Federal District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs found in favor of Harvard in her October 2019 decision on all counts, ruling that the College didnt discriminate based on race, engage in racial balancing or the use of quotas, and that it had no suitable race-neutral alternatives that would allow it to achieve its pedagogical and diversity-related goals. (as to 21-707). [10] In Fisher v. University of Texas (2013), the Supreme Court additionally held that colleges must prove that race-conscious admissions policies are the only way to meet diversity goals. [10], In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed that Harvard imposes a soft racial quota, which keeps the numbers of Asian Americans artificially low. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. African-Americans, on the other hand, consistently scored the lowest on the academic rating but highest on the personal rating. Petition GRANTED. Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp. Crawford v. Los Angeles Board of Education, Board of Education of Oklahoma City v. Dowell, Northeastern Fla. Chapter, Associated Gen. [13] The plaintiffs also interviewed and deposed numerous Harvard officials. 1, Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board, Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, Charlton-Perkins v. University of Cincinnati, Northeastern Fla. Chapter, Associated Gen. The second case, a suit against the University of North Carolina, was similarly unsuccessful in federal district court. VIDED. ABOUT Every step of racial progress has been intensely controversial: emancipation, the passage of the post-Civil War constitutional amendments, the Supreme Courts landmark decisions, the civil-rights legislation of the sixties. The time to file the joint appendix and petitioner's brief on the merits is extended to and including May 2, 2022. Life of the mother is suddenly vulnerable, When you talk silly to baby, the world joins in, Tracing history of early seafarers through genes, Supreme Court to hear Harvard admissions challenge. ", "The lawsuit against Harvard that could change affirmative action in college admissions, explained", "Expert Report of Peter S. Arcidiacono, Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard No. [10] Other Asian American advocacy groups filed amicus briefs in support of Harvard. The Supreme Court has upheld the use of race as one factor among many in admissions since the landmark Bakke case in 1978 and as recently as 2016. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Joint appendix (3 volumes) filed. VIDED. [1] The plaintiffs also claimed that alumni interviewers (who, unlike admissions officers within Harvard, did actually meet with individual applicants) gave Asian Americans personal ratings comparable to white applicants. [13] As a result, the plaintiffs allege Asian American applicants have the lowest chance of admission of all racial groups in the United States despite scoring highest in all objective measurements. The idea that, at some point in the past, the country had a broad racial consensus that it abandoned with the advent of affirmative action is a mirage. "[12] The lawyers for SFFA stated that the initial hearing focused on the issue of discrimination against Asian American applicants, instead of trying to challenge affirmative action in general. [13] According to his testimony, if an Asian American applicant with certain characteristics (like scores, GPAs, and extracurricular activities, family background) would result in a 25% statistical likelihood of admission, the same applicant, if white, will have a 36% likelihood of admission. Brief amicus curiae of Southeastern Legal Foundation filed. American falls by over 11 percentage points, a 72% decrease in share. Brief amicus curiae of Former Attorney General Edwin Meese III filed. (Distributed), Supplemental brief of petitioner Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. filed. Issues: (1) Whether the Supreme Court should overrule Grutter v. Bollinger and hold that institutions of (Distributed). [13] From these sources, the plaintiffs alleged that Harvard admissions officers consistently rated Asian American applicants as a group lower than others on traits like positive personality, likability, courage, kindness and being widely respected. Sign up to receive a daily email We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can leave if you wish. The Supreme Court decision to review the unanimous decisions of the lower federal courts puts at risk 40 years of legal precedent granting colleges and universities the freedom and flexibility to create diverse campus communities. The lawsuits show universities, swamped with tens of thousands of applicants, quantifying just about every aspect of their applicant pools. Brief amicus curiae of Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty filed. [2] The Justice Department filed friend-of-the-court briefs in both the initial hearing and the appeal, arguing that Harvard imposes "a racial penalty by systematically disfavoring Asian American applicants".[23]. VIDED. Once, it sparked dreams of community and counterculture. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Brief amici curiae of Judicial Watch, Inc. and Allied Educational Foundation filed. That would surely invite further legal challenges to diversity programs in every other area of American life: hiring, contracting, grant-making, and on and on. ", In February 2020, SFFA filed an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

(February 15, 2022). VIDED. Brief amici curiae of Gail Heriot, et al. 14-cv-14176-ADB (D. Mass)", "Is Harvard Showing Bias Against Asian-Americans? Brief amicus curiae of Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies filed. Brief amicus curiae of The Californians for Equal Rights Foundation filed. Asian Americans appear divided by this case and affirmative action in general. The organization Students for Fair Admissions and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against Harvard College in 2014 in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, claiming that the college discriminates against Asian American applicants in its undergraduate admissions process, engages in racial balancing and does not use race in a narrowly tailored way as required by existing Supreme Court precedent. Brief amicus curiae of Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty in support of neither party filed. [16] Harvard further indicated that it had studied more than a dozen race-neutral admissions alternatives and found none "promote Harvards diversity-related educational objectives as well as Harvards admissions program while also maintaining the standards of excellence that Harvard seeks in its student body., Using the same data given to the plaintiffs, UC Berkeley economist David Card testified on behalf of Harvard and indicated in a report that SFFA's analysis of the personal ratings excluded applications from a sizable percentage of the applicant pool, personal essays, and letters of recommendation from teachers and guidance counselors and that there was no statistically significant difference in personal scores compared to white students. Brief amicus curiae of The State of Texas filed. Proposal of petitioner to lodge declarations of SFFA President and identified members recently denied admission to Harvard and UNC filed. Brief amicus curiae of America First Legal Foundation in support of neither party filed. The time to file respondents' briefs on the merits is extended to and including July 25, 2022. VIDED. VIDED. [1][13] The plaintiffs alleged that Asian Americans scored higher than applicants of any other racial or ethnic group on other admissions measures like test scores, grades and extracurricular activities, but the students' personal ratings significantly dragged down their admissions chances. Brief amicus curiae of Economists in Support of Petitioner filed. Brief amici curiae of United States Senators and Representatives filed. VIDED. [18], Harvard also argued that the Office of Institutional Research documents that the plaintiffs alleged were proof of discrimination against Asian Americans represented "a preliminary and incomplete analysis OIR was conducting without the benefit of the full admissions database or a full understanding of the admissions process" and that "[the] OIR documents themselves directly acknowledge various missing data and aspects of the admissions process that are not taken into account. Brief of petitioner Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. filed. (Response due March 31, 2021). in December the Solicitor General under the Biden administration urged the Supreme Court to reject the appeal.

Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (Docket 201199) is a lawsuit concerning discrimination against Asian Americans and the affirmative action program in Harvard University's student admissions process.

Motion of respondents Cecilia Polanco, et al. Scholar urges fuller reckoning with colonial legacies. Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Co. Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections, San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, Massachusetts Board of Retirement v. Murgia. Brief amicus curiae of The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and the Silicon Valley Chinese Association Foundation filed. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Life Lessons from Laura Wasser, Divorce Lawyer to the Stars. Where a filing is submitted in fewer than all of the cases, the docket entry will reflect the case number(s) in which the filing is submitted; a document filed in all of the consolidated cases will be noted as VIDED.. [13] Arcidiacono testified that removing the personal score penalty of Asian applicants relative to white applicants would result in a 16% increase in the number of admitted Asian Americans.

VIDED. Brief amici curiae of Pacific Legal Foundation, Reason Foundation, Center for Equal Opportunity, Individual Rights Foundation, Chinese American Citizens Alliance - Greater New York, Coalition for TJ, and Yi Fang Chen filed.

filed.

VIDED. The case resumed, and a three-week bench trial was held in Massachusetts federal district court in Boston in October 2018. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. A celebrity-divorce lawyer reflects on the state of marriage. VIDED. for leave to file Volume IV of the joint appendix in No.

It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. 2022 Cond Nast. (December 09, 2021 - to be corrected and reprinted). The school also says that it receives more than 40,000 applications, that a large majority of applicants are academically qualified, and as a result it must consider more than grades and test scores to determine admission for its 2,000 available slots. Motion to extend the time to file a response from March 31, 2021 to May 17, 2021, submitted to The Clerk. VIDED. In a statement, Harvard President Larry Bacow said the Courts decision to take the case threatens decades of legal precedent. Last month, Harvard accepted the first cohort of the class of 2026a group that is twenty-six per cent Asian American and fourteen per cent Black. [13] Despite this, they received a statistically significant penalty relative to white applicants in the personal score and overall score assigned by Harvard officials. filed.

[11], Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) filed a lawsuit in federal district court against Harvard University on November 17, 2014, representing a group of anonymous Asian American plaintiffs rejected from Harvard. Blanket Consent filed by Respondent, President and Fellows of Harvard College. Most of the leading universities were overwhelmingly white. VIDED. Motion for leave to file Volume IV of the joint appendix under seal filed by respondents Cecilia Polanco, et al. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. However, in 2017, the coalition resubmitted their complaints to the Department of Justice under the Trump administration. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. VIDED. And every one remained controversial, the object of intense nullification campaigns, after it became law. [13], Arcidiacono suggested that the applicant's race plays a significant role in admissions decisions. Its conventional wisdom that the ringing, unanimous Brown v. Board of Education decision, in 1954, was made possible by the death of Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson and his replacement by the more liberal and politically adept Earl Warren, and after the decision came down it provoked a furious reaction.

[8][1], Harvard denies engaging in discrimination and said its admissions philosophy of considering race as one of many factors in its admissions policy complies with the law. In a very narrow sense, they are: one cant tell whether a specific applicant would have been admitted absent affirmative action, but admitting more students from any category, at such a highly selective institution, inevitably means admitting fewer from other categories. VIDED. VIDED. [37] Ketanji Brown Jackson stated prior to becoming a Supreme Court Justice that she would recuse herself from the case because she is on the Harvard Board of Overseers. City of Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc. Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education Expense Board v. College Savings Bank, Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett, Nevada Department of Human Resources v. Hibbs, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Students_for_Fair_Admissions_v._President_and_Fellows_of_Harvard_College&oldid=1099667403, United States Supreme Court cases of the Roberts Court, United States affirmative action case law, United States racial discrimination case law, University and college admissions in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 July 2022, at 00:45. It opened an investigation into allegations against Harvard's policies, and that investigation was ongoing as of February 2020.[27].

The major pieces of civil-rights legislation had been passed, and it instantly became clear that race was not just a Southern issue that would disappear with the end of the formal Jim Crow system. The ultra-rich are buying them in record numbers. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. [30][31], Harvard filed an opposing brief seeking to have SFFA's petition rejected by the Supreme Court, a position supported by the Solicitor General. Brief amici curiae of Pacific Legal Foundation, et al. 21-707 is granted. Assuming that President Biden will have succeeded in getting a successor to Justice Stephen Breyer seated before the Court hears the case, we can expect a strongly worded 63 decision insisting on color blindness in admissions, full stop. Brief amici curiae of American Center for Law & Justice and Devon Westhill filed. (Distributed). "Theres something we dont know about Putins calculation here," says scholar Alexandra M. Vacroux about the Russian leader, pictured. Reply of petitioner Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. filed. The justices agreed to take up the question of whether Harvard, and colleges and universities across the country, can continue to use race as one factor among many in their admissions processes. 20-1199. Universities began using affirmative action voluntarily, and broadly, in the late nineteen-sixties, for a simple reason: to make themselves more racially integrated. [32][33][34] In June the Court requested that the U.S. government brief its stance on the case;[35] The VW Bus Took the Sixties on the Road. VIDED. Brief amicus curiae of Project 21 filed. [1] SFFA filed an appeal in the First Circuit Court of Appeals, with the court upholding Burroughs' decision in favor of Harvard. Amicus brief of United States not accepted for filing. Contractors of America v. Jacksonville, Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney, Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan. Personal History by David Sedaris: after thirty years together, sleeping is the new having sex. This is not safe or settled history. Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvardnews. Its ironic that two of these landmarks, the Fourteenth Amendment and the 1964 Civil Rights Actwhich were understood as they were enacted, by their proponents and their opponents alike, as being aimed at African American progresshave been, for half a century, and are now again the basis for legal challenges to affirmative action. Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best stories from The New Yorker. Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, Court will hear challenges to affirmative action at Harvard and University of North Carolina, Revenge of the rescheduled cases: Congressional proxy voting, the ministerial exception, and more, Court will take up five new cases, including lawsuit from football coach who wanted to pray on the field, Blockbuster watch: Affirmative action, same-sex weddings, and other big relists, Justices add new cases on bankruptcy, workers comp, and relief from final judgments, Justices request governments views on Harvard affirmative-action dispute, Affirmative action at Harvard, border searches and pedestrian safety, Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. Application (21A393) of petitioner to file consolidated opening and reply briefs on the merits in excess of the word limits granted by The Chief Justice. The Acting Solicitor General is invited to file a brief in this case expressing the views of the United States. [12] Blum participated in cases such as Bush v. Vera, Shelby County v. Holder, and Fisher v. University of Texas. The so-called disso queen, whose former clients range from Kim Kardashian to Johnny Depp, reflects on the state of our unions. The University remains committed to academic excellence, expanded opportunity, and diverse educational experiencesand to the perennial work of preparing students for fruitful careers and meaningful lives.. Joint appendix (4 Volumes) filed (as to 20-1199). Blanket Consent filed by Respondent, The University of North Carolina, et al. Contractors of America v. City of Jacksonville, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Both petitions sought the court to overturn Grutter v. Bollinger. digest from follow.it by filed. Brief amicus curiae of LONANG Institute filed. VIDED.

race and rejecting workable race-neutral alternatives. Brief amicus curiae of Southeastern Legal Foundation filed (in 20-1199). Through all the decades of controversy about affirmative action, its opponents have often argued that we should fix the entire American educational system so that affirmative action would be unnecessary. The message is clear: the Supreme Court wants to consider decisively departing from a long string of decisions that have permitted the use of race as a plus factor in admissions. VIDED. VIDED. Subsequent filings in these cases must therefore be submitted through the electronic filing system in No. The U.S. ", "Opinion | Harvard's Asian Quotas Repeat an Ugly History", "Federal Judge Rules Harvard's Admissions Policies Do Not Discriminate Against Asian American Applicants", "The Rise and Fall of Affirmative Action", "Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard: Will the Case Sound the Death Knell for Affirmative Action? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. He insisted Harvard will continue to defend its admissions process in pursuit of a diverse campus, one central to the Universitys educational mission. "[15], Various students, alumni and external groups filed friend-of-the-court briefs on both sides. That would not mean, though, that, after an adverse decision, the universities could simply drop standardized tests and there would be no effect on how many Black students they admit. This website may use cookies to improve your experience. Brief amici curiae of The Liberty Justice Center and Momoko Takahashi filed. filed. Brief amici curiae of Oklahoma, et al. These have been close decisions, made on narrow grounds, usually with a moderate conservative Justice holding the balance of power. Brief amicus curiae of Speech First filed. All rights reserved. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. O'Gorman & Young, Inc. v. Hartford Fire Insurance Co. Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth, City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. For Hispanics, the share of admits drops 6.9 percentage points, a 46% Brief amicus curiae of Parents Defending Education filed. VIDED. It would still be a large undertaking, but less so, for universities to reconsider their tendency to quantify every aspect of admissions in ways that, after the Supreme Court decision, will wind up being in conflict with keeping integration at even just its current, hard-won level. [12], Certain Asian American advocacy groups filed amicus briefs in support of SFFA, believing that they or their children are discriminated against in college admission processes. [29], SFFA petitioned the Supreme Court to review both the First Circuit's decision in the Harvard case, focused on the impact of the admissions process on Asian Americans, and a similar decision from the Middle District of North Carolina, focused on the impact on both Caucasian and Asian American applicants at the University of North Carolina that had been decided in the school's favor in October 2021. VIDED. [12] The SFFA case is the first high-profile case on behalf of plaintiffs who were not white, and who had academic credentials that were "much harder to criticize. Because of persistent average racial gaps on test scores, which reflect deep and long-standing educational inequities, meaningfully increasing a universitys Black student presence requires accepting some Black students with lower test scores than rejected white students. Brief of respondent President and Fellows of Harvard College in opposition filed. The Fourteenth Amendment was enacted and ratified, in 1868, despite Presidential opposition, and remained effectively in force for only a few years; the removal of federal troops from the South in 1877, marking the end of Reconstruction, fatally weakened it. Brief amicus curiae of United States filed. No doubt a determined litigant would be able to use numbers that arent test scores to make a case that race is still being used as a plus factor in admissions. VIDED. [4] Harvard filed an opposing brief,[5] which is supported by the Biden Administration. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. treating all applicants in a manner similar to whites has dramatic And if the Biden Administration cant get a new Justice in place before the November midterm elections, it could be an even more lopsided decision. Brief amicus curiae of Former Federal Officials of the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights filed. CONTACT US. [13] Hispanic and Black applicants with the same characteristics will have a 77% and 95% predicted chance of admission, respectively. Both Harvard and the University of North Carolina have temporarily suspended their test requirements and, if the Supreme Court does what everyone expects it to do, those suspensions are likely to become permanent. [2][3] SFFA appealed to the Supreme Court. Brief amici curiae of The Asian American Coalition For Education and The Asian American Legal Foundation filed. The share of admits who are African Blanket Consent filed (in 21-707) by Respondent, Cecilia Polanco, et al. Joint motion to extend the time to file the briefs on the merits granted.

VIDED. [28] They include the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, representing itself and 44 other Asian American groups and higher education faculty, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles, representing several Asian American students. [38], Response by Asian American and other groups, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles, "Harvard Rated Asian-American Applicants Lower on Personality Traits, Suit Says", "The Affirmative Action Battle at Harvard Is Not Over", "Yale Discriminated by Race in Undergraduate Admissions, Justice Department Says", "Biden administration asks U.S. Supreme Court to reject Harvard affirmative action case", "Supreme Court Will Hear Challenge to Affirmative Action at Harvard and U.N.C. Substantially as a result, the country today has a far more multiracial leadership class, and an immeasurably enriched political, cultural, and intellectual lifeand a long way still to go.