US Court Denies White Students’ Discrimination Case

The U.S. Supreme Court let stand on Monday a ruling that three unsuccessful white applicants cannot collect any damages from their lawsuit challenging the University of Washington Law School’s use of race as a factor in admissions.

Without comment or recorded dissent, the justices declined to review a U.S. appeals court ruling that upheld as legal the policy in effect in the mid-1990s when Katuria Smith, Angela Rock and Michael Pyle applied and were rejected.

“The law school’s narrowly tailored use of race and ethnicity in admissions decisions during 1994-96 furthered its compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body,” the appeals court ruled.

The Supreme Court in a major ruling in 2003 upheld the use of racial preferences in university admission decisions and cited the benefits of a diverse student body. The court upheld the University of Michigan’s affirmative action program that favors minorities who apply to its law school.

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