Michigan Affirmative-Action Ban Rejected

An appeals-court panel has struck down a Michigan statute that banned the consideration of race in college admissions, saying that it “unconstitutionally alters Michigan’s political structure by impermissibly burdening racial minorities.” The 2-1 decision overrules a 2006 amendment to Michigan’s constitution that forbade admissions counselors from taking race and sex into account. The U.S. Supreme Court, which seems poised to ultimately consider this case as well, ruled in 2003 that universities may not establish race quotas but they may consider race along with other factors.