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Monday, June 20, 2016
End of the Road for Fisher v University of Texas
It has been nearly a decade since Texas high school senior, Abigail Fisher, was denied admission to the University of Texas at Austin. Under Texas' "10% Rule", the top ten percent of every high school graduating class is granted automatic admission to Texas’ public universities. Ms. Fisher was not among the top ten percent in her class.

Fisher claimed she was rejected, while African-American students with lower grades and test scores were admitted. Her lawsuit was a challenge to UT's long-standing consideration of race in college admissions. For the past eight years, the case has winded its way up the hierarchy of appellate courts. The case was first heard by the US Supreme Court in 2013, but remanded back to a lower court for further hearing.

This past week, the high court made a final ruling in the matter which affirms the use of race in college admissions decisions. From a practical standpoint, the ruling isn't necessarily going to cause immediate waves. Texas' 10% Rule itself was not exactly on trial. Eight states already have legal bans on affirmative action. Fisher herself graduated from the University of Louisiana in 2012, so any victory would have been symbolic for her.

The ruling on the matter was heavily influenced by the absence of Justice Antonin Scalia, who died earlier this year. Scalia and the Court's three other conservative justices are staunch opponents of affirmative action. Justice Elena Kagan had to buy ambien online usa recuse herself from the matter. The ruling was 4-3, and with Scalia's involvement, would most certainly have been a 4-4 "draw", which would simply have upheld the ruling of the lower court.
Though unlikely to be the catalyst for immediate changes in college admissions policies, the ruling is an emblematic triumph, bringing the diversity conversation to the forefront of the college admissions discussion once again.

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