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I think there are historical inequities that need to be addressed in this country (and others). I'm open to affirmative action as a possible way to achieve that, but I think there should be a lot more creativity in how we right historic wrongs. No one program can shoulder the burden alone... we should have a whole range of programs attempting to do the same.

Re: race versus poverty, I think both are huge issues in the country but I do think that racial discrimination is a separate issue and needs to be addressed separately. Ta-Nehisi Coates' article in the Atlantic really opened my eyes as to how recent and profound racial discrimination has been in the housing market. So did the One Block story on one block in Bed Stuy over the years. It was amazing how redlining just totally transformed the block.

http://nymag.com/oneblock/

All that said, I do agree that Asian Americans have paid a pretty heavy price for various affirmative action programs... I think it's worth it overall but the whole model minority/quota stuff gets old after a while.

I find this case so interesting and I just have to say that I love RBG. She is so thoughtful and sharp. I live in Texas and we are a UT family. I strongly favor the university's policy. And I agree whole heartedly with Ginsbergs thoughts on the top 10 program. DH and I were talking about this. Not only does it discourage black students from seeking a more integrated schooling, it also encourages more advantaged students to transfer to disadvantaged schools to qualify for the top 10 percent program, taking those spots from otherwise qualified students. You would not think this happens but I live in the largest city in Texas and know first hand that it does. Wealthier, middle performing white students transfer for a year or two from a very competitive school where they won't hit top 10%, and scoop up those spots in a less privileged school with more minority students. Thus, just a flat percent program like this doesn't ensure racial diversity.

I work in enrollment in a selective college (we are private so different than the case before the supreme court) and we do preferential financial aid packaging for under represented minorities. If we didn't, I think our classrooms wouldn't be as diverse both racially and socioeconomically-- college is where you share ideas and have meaningful discussions to shape how you view the world. I wouldn't want to be in a classroom or campus where everyone looked just like me and came from a similar background. We need to do something to help make our campus more diverse. And have strong support systems in place to support and retain these students.

Yes, I am all for them. Both to address historical inequality and current racism/sexism/etc.

@travellingbee: Yeah, I agree with you (and RBG, of course).

SCOTUS blog is a great resource, too. Here's their post on it:
http://www.scotusblog.com/2015/12/argument-analysis-now-three-options-on-college-affirmative-action/

"But Scalia’s arguments became quite clumsy, and raised some eyebrows, when he suggested that maybe the University of Texas needs fewer minority students, and he suggested that many of them find that the classes are 'too fast' for them at such high-rank institutions, and thus prefer to go to lower-ranked, 'slower-track schools.'"

@lawbee11: My coworker sent that quote to me and my jaw dropped. WTF.

I absolutely support affirmative action. It is a fact that a significant education gap still exists between white Americans and minorities. I thought this was a good overview of the inequalities in our education system. Until we solve those, I'm on board with race being a consideration in admissions.

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/01/28/us-education-still-separate-and-unequal

As for the woman who sued, starting this whole thing, how egotistical do you have to be to assume you would have gotten in if it weren't for affirmative action? Yikes. And you know what? I didn't get into my first-choice school that I actually applied early to. It didn't matter. I still went to a university that I loved, got a good job after school and am living a good life. I was lucky to be coming from a place where education was a priority and it was a given that I would go to college. If others who don't have those advantages need a little extra help, we should provide it.

I'm not sure about this. I think that colleges should recruit widely, offer ample financial aid for all students, and have strong support programs for students in vulnerable demographics (first generation college students, etc). That said, I actually think admissions should be race, ethnicity, and gender blind. I think there should be clear-cut standards that a college should aspire to, like certain GPAs, finishing in a certain % of your graduating class, and standardized test scores (these least, though, cause they're super biased). ETA: Also, the % of your graduating class that goes to college is a really big one, I think. That would, or should, help to elevate high-achieving students who come from low-performing schools.

I come at this in two ways: I used to work in admissions in a private, selective college, and I've now attended grad school and taught at two different large public research institutions in two different states. My husband is also a high school teacher and works to help prepare high schoolers for standardized tests. My fear is that diversity in admissions does not reflect diversity in graduation...I could be wrong about that, but I'm afraid that I'm not. Meaning, that we should work to admit students who can, with the right support, complete the degree and go on to whatever the field is they've chosen. It does no one any favors to admit students hoping to correct a historical wrong if they can't get through college afterwards. In other words, I would rather see the focus be on better college readiness preparation across the entire population at the high school level and better support for students and families once admitted to college. My suspicion is that if we focused on those two things instead of affirmative action, we would move closer towards our goal of more equal access to higher education.

I am not sure how race played into my college admissions - I met the requirements so I was admitted. But, it did impact me positively with financial aid. I received the diversity scholarship.

I think it has benefitted me in my career to some extent as well though I have no proof of that.

I am not concerned about it for my daughter - I think she will have plenty of opportunities because of her social class and hopefully also the racial diversity she would bring will be to her benefit, but she is not personally "in need" of affirmative action the way many other people of color are.

I do think affirmative action is important on a broader level though I don't pretend to be an expert at solving these problems.

There are things that concern me for my daughter from a racial standpoint but college admissions is not one right now.

I recently listened to a fascinating podcast interview with Trevor Noah (Pop Culture Happy Hour) and he said something that really made me think. He was talking about actively recruiting black writers, and he said that you could compare a black and white writer on paper and the white writer might have an edge, but the black writer is bringing something to the room that is lacking - a diverse voice and experiences. If the top 10 candidates are all white men you're going to be lacking something important because you only have one perspective.

So I just read that the girl who sued, starting this case, had SAT scores and a GPA below the average of what UT admits. I don't understand how she came to the conclusion that she was denied admission because of race. Ridiculous.

I would rather see these problems fixed at the pre-k through 12th grade level, but I'm for it for now. I don't really know how it works but I hope it's based on the applicant pool rather than a strict sort of "quota."

@2littlepumpkins: I would also like to see this resolved during prek-12. We are having an issue with our school district, specifically middle schools and how racially segregated they are right now. Some Black & Latino parents have complained about how they're children have been pushed out of the good (read White) schools even though they have the grades.

Universal pre-k is one tool our Mayor and Dept. of Education are using to help get a jump start--but it's going to take a lot more. NYC one of the most diverse places with the most segregated school districts--and you can guess which schools have the most resources and best PTAs raising lots of money. But I digress