High Court Case Has Affirmative Action Hints: Stephen L. Carter

Did the US Supreme Court just tip its hand on how it will rule on affirmative action this term? The court’s opinion in a Voting Rights Act case decided today might point the way to an old but durable compromise.

Because the lawsuits challenging race-conscious admission programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina have garnered so much attention, the case of Allen v. Milligan has flown a bit under the radar. The plaintiffs sued to challenge an Alabama redistricting map that created only one majority-Black congressional district (out of seven) in the state. A quarter of Alabamians ...