A Supreme Court Victory for Racial Diversity in College Admissions

In a historic decision, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, the Supreme Court upheld the use of race as one factor among many that may be taken into account by the University of Texas in its admissions policy at its flagship Austin campus. In doing so, the Court reaffirmed a university's compelling interest in achieving a diverse student body through a "holistic" review of an applicant's personal qualifications, such as leadership experience, extracurricular activities, awards and honors, and socioeconomic circumstances, including race as only one factor, in addition to grades and test scores. Paul, Weiss submitted an amicus brief on behalf of the American Bar Association, urging that result and emphasizing the importance of diversity in higher education for producing lawyers free from racial bias, especially given the vital role lawyers play in our nation's justice system.  

The Paul, Weiss team that prepared the amicus brief includes, among others, litigation partners Ted Wells and Jaren Janghorbani, of counsel Sidney Rosdeitcher and associates Yahonnes Cleary, Luke Murumba and Kaveri Vaid.

Click here to read the brief

The firm previously submitted an amicus brief in the Supreme Court on behalf of the ABA in an earlier phase of this eight-year litigation, also supporting the use of such admissions policies.