Thread: Appeals court upholds Calif. affirmative action ban

Appeals court upholds Calif. affirmative action ban

By Valerie Richardson
The Washington Times
Monday, April 2, 2012

A federal appeals court upheld Monday a California ballot measure banning affirmative action in admissions to state colleges and universities.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a legal challenge filed against Proposition 209, the 1996 initiative approved by California voters, which argued that the law discriminates against minority students in admissions to California universities.

The three-judge panel said that the court was bound by a 1997 9th Circuit ruling that upheld the affirmative-action ban.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of more than 40 black and Hispanic students, argued that minority students in some areas are unable to compete effectively for slots to the University of California system because their high school programs are insufficiently rigorous..

California Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, sided with the students, calling Proposition 209 unconstitutional.

Proposition 209, sponsored by former University of California Regent Ward Connerly, prohibits public universities from considering sex, race or ethnicity in their admissions decisions. The measure has survived repeated legal challenges, including two before the California Supreme Court.

Another federal appeals court ruled against Michigan’s anti-affirmative action law in 2011, and the Supreme Court is considering an affirmative-action case this term.

Appeals court upholds Calif. affirmative action ban - Washington Times

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http://www.alipac.us/f19/affirmative...fornia-254222/