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A28 u.s. news
Diamars 15 Juni 2021

Justices consider Harvard case on race in college admissions

(AP) — With abortion and discriminates against Asian
guns already on the agen- American applicants and
da, the conservative-dom- says its consideration of race
inated Supreme Court is limited, pointing out that
is considering adding a lower courts agreed with the
third blockbuster issue university.
— whether to ban consid-
eration of race in college In November, the federal ap-
admissions. peals court in Boston ruled
that Harvard looked at race
The justices could say as soon in a limited way in line with
as Monday whether they will Supreme Court precedents.
hear an appeal claiming that
Harvard discriminates against The class that just finished
Asian American applicants, in its freshman year is roughly
a case that could have nation- one-quarter Asian American,
wide repercussions. The case 15% Black and 13% Hispanic,
would not be argued until the Harvard says on its website.
fall or winter. “If Harvard were to abandon
race-conscious admissions,
“It would be a big deal be- African-American and His-
cause of the nature of college panic representation would
admissions across the coun- decline by nearly half,” the
try and because of the stakes school told the court in urg-
of having this issue before ing it to stay out of the case.
the Supreme Court,” said Like the abortion case, the tice Sandra Day O’Connor
Gregory Garre, who twice Two members of that four- Harvard case lacks a split likewise invoked the Harvard The Trump administration
defended the University of justice majority are gone among appellate courts that plan in her opinion uphold- backed Blum’s case against
Texas’ admissions program from the court. Justice Ruth often piques the high court’s ing the University of Michi- Harvard and also filed its own
before the justices. Bader Ginsburg died in Sep- interest in a case. gan’s law school admissions lawsuit alleging discrimina-
tember. Justice Anthony program. tion against Asian Americans
The presence of three ap- Kennedy retired in 2018. The Supreme Court has and whites at Yale.
pointees of former President weighed in on college admis- Now it’s Harvard program in
Donald Trump could prompt The three dissenters in the sions several times over more the crosshairs of opponents The Biden administration
the court to take up the case, case, Chief Justice John Rob- than 40 years. The current of race-based affirmative ac- already has dropped the Yale
even though it’s only been erts and Justices Clarence dispute harks back to its first tion. suit and almost certainly will
five years since its last deci- Thomas and Samuel Alito, big affirmative action case take Harvard’s side at the Su-
sion in a case about affirma- remain on the court. Rob- in 1978, when Justice Lewis The challenge to Harvard is preme Court if the case goes
tive action in higher educa- erts, a moderating influence Powell set out the rationale led by Edward Blum and his forward.
tion. on some issues, has been a for taking account of race Students for Fair Admissions.
steadfast vote to limit the use even as the court barred the Blum has worked for years to The lead attorney on the ap-
In that Texas case, the court of race in public programs, use of racial quotas in admis- rid college admissions of ra- peal is William Consovoy,
reaffirmed in a 4-3 decision once writing, “It is a sordid sions. cial considerations. who also represented Trump
that colleges and universi- business, this divvying us up in his unsuccessful bid to
ties may consider race in ad- by race.” In the Regents of the Uni- The group claims that Har- shield his tax returns from
missions decisions. But they versity of California v. Bakke, vard imposes a “racial pen- the Manhattan district attor-
must do so in a narrowly The court’s willingness to Powell approvingly cited alty” on Asian American ney.
tailored way to promote di- jump into major cases over Harvard as “an illuminat- applicants by systematically
versity, the court said in a abortion and gun rights also ing example” of a college scoring them lower in some When the court upheld the
decision that rejected the dis- appear to turn on the new, that takes “race into account categories than other appli- Michigan’s law school pro-
crimination claims of a white more conservative compo- in achieving the educational cants and awarding “massive gram in Grutter v. Bollinger
applicant. Schools also bear sition of the court because diversity valued by the First preferences” to Black and in 2003, O’Connor took note
the burden of showing why similar appeals had been Amendment.” Hispanic applicants. of the quarter-century that
their consideration of race is turned away in the past. had passed since the Bakke
appropriate. Twenty-five years later, Jus- Harvard flatly denies that it decision.

1 dead 7 hurt in vehicle crash at West Texas mud race

(AP) — A 21-year-old man into a crowd at a mud rac- 6:30 p.m. Sunday at a race- “Well, they started the race.
was killed and seven other ing event in Texas, offi- track in Fabens, Texas, about “Today what happened was And when they started, one
people were injured when cials said Monday. 40 miles (64 kilometers) what we all hoped doesn’t of the trucks lost control and
a vehicle crashed through southeast of El Paso and less happen ... a wreck while rac- slammed into a pile of cars
a guardrail and plowed The crash happened at about than a mile from the Mexican ing,” said Scott Smith, owner and people,” Huerta said.
border, the El Paso County of Rock Solid Protection, an
Sheriff’s Department said. El Paso-based security firm. Three other vehicles were
Smith, speaking at a news also struck as a result of the
Eight people were taken to conference, said that “the initial crash, the statement
a hospital, including three mud can tell the car where said. It was not immediately
spectators in critical condi- to go, at times” and that is known what caused the ve-
tion, the sheriff’s department what he said happened in this hicle to leave the track.
said in a statement. Willie crash.
Valadez Ramirez was pro- Police said an investigation
nounced dead at the hospital Karla Huerta, who was remains ongoing. Sheriff’s
and two people remained in watching the race when it officials have not responded
critical but stable condition turned tragic, described the to requests for comment.
Monday, according to the de- scene as “pretty ugly.”
partment.