Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears joins brief backing group challenging affirmative action

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears has joined an amicus brief in a case brought by a conservative activist challenging affirmative action in college admissions.

The group Students for Fair Admissions is asking the Court to overturn Grutter v. Bollinger, a 2003 decision that permitted the University of Michigan Law School to use race as a factor in its admissions decisions.

“It is time to end the policies of college selection based on race, which is counter to equal treatment under the law. University-sponsored and supported charter schools, the expansion of scholarships for low-income students, and improved student testing methods will help provide increased diversity at universities,” Earle-Sears said in a statement.

In the case set to come before the court, Students for Fair Admissions is challenging affirmative action policies at Harvard and UNC-Chapel Hill that the U.S. Supreme Court has held as constitutional dating back to the 1978 Bakke decision.

But that was before the new Trump- and McConnell-packed Supreme Court set itself on its mission of undoing decades of progressive judicial precedent.

“The ancient faith that gave birth to our nation’s civil rights laws is the principle that an individual’s race should not be used to help or harm them in their life’s endeavors. It is the hope of the vast majority of all Americans that the justices end these polarizing admissions policies,” said Edward Blum, president of Students for Fair Admissions.

Public opinion polls are actually not anywhere near as universal on affirmative action as Blum suggests. Most Americans support affirmative action in higher education to create opportunities for disadvantaged minorities, and similar majorities also oppose the use of racial preferences in admissions decisions.

“The right to a good education doesn’t come at the expense of denying another the right as well,” said Earle-Sears, a Republican and African American. “We learn from history that we don’t learn from history. We are not about to deny educational rights to Asian children. Rather, we must ensure that all children have access to educational opportunities.”

Story by Chris Graham