The Latino Law Student Association (LLSA) at the University of Michigan Law School celebrates the Supreme Court's decision in Grutter v. Bollinger. The Court ruled that the Law School's admissions policy is narrowly tailored towards the compelling state interest of student body diversity. As a result of this decision, the Law School will be able to continue to provide a top rate legal education to all its students.
LLSA has wholeheartedly supported the Law School in its efforts to maintain a diverse student body committed to the exchange of ideas and the sharing of experiences. While LLSA's membership is predominately Latino, we all come from different backgrounds and cultures. We believe the Supreme Court justly recognized the value of our differences in upholding the Law School's admissions policy.
For this reason, we are distressed that the Court struck the undergraduate admissions policy as an unconstitutional quota system in Gratz v. Bollinger. Considering the mass number of applications received by larger institutions like the University of Michigan, it will be highly difficult for these universities to take race into account in the application process without the use of a numerically-based criteria system.
Nonetheless, by recognizing that institutions of higher learning may permissibly take race into account as one factor among many, the Court has left the door open for affirmative steps towards racial integration and equality for Latinos and other communities of color. We would like to thank the University of Michigan Law School and all of its supporters for fighting to protect diversity and equality in higher education.
