The University Texas Board of Regents voted unanimously to appeal a previous ruling that banned affirmative action programs at the school. The “Hopwood” ruling was issued by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1996.
U of Texas officials argued that the ruling places them at a competitive disadvantage with other schools. Donald Evans, chair of the Board of Regents, said, “Right now, there’s one standard for Texas and a standard for all the other 49 states. We think that’s unfair.”
The University needs the Texas attorney general’s approval to proceed with the appeal and cannot contest the legality of its former affirmative action programs. Rather, the school will argue that the ruling harms the school’s ability to recruit students.
Feminist News Stories on Affirmative Action
