Civil and Human Rights Coalition Baffled by Supreme Court’s Decision to Re-Hear Arguments in Fisher v. Univ. of Texas
WASHINGTON – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to grant petitioners’ request to hear arguments for a second time in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin:
“It’s baffling that the Court has decided to rehear arguments in a case where the University of Texas at Austin’s admissions policy has already been upheld multiple times. As per the Supreme Court’s directive from 2013, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reheard this case and decided for the second time that U.T.’s carefully crafted admissions policy process is constitutional.
Our nation’s colleges and universities play a critical role in preparing our children for a diverse, increasingly competitive global workforce. They need to have every tool at their disposal to create the kind of learning environment that will give our kids the best shot of success in a competitive 21st century economy. The University of Texas’s admissions policy is a carefully crafted one that is designed to create the diverse learning environments that are critical to the educational success of all students.
It is in our national interest to expand opportunities for everyone. We are confident that ultimately the Court will adhere to its own precedent and reaffirm that it is constitutional for universities to consider race as one of numerous factors they may use in making individualized admissions decisions.”
Wade Henderson is president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.