Affirmative Action
Policies and practices designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination, remedy the lingering effects of past discrimination, and promote equal opportunity in areas like employment and education, often by considering race or gender as one of many factors.
Policies and practices designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination, remedy the lingering effects of past discrimination, and promote equal opportunity in areas like employment and education, often by considering race or gender as one of many factors.
Example: The Supreme Court’s 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger upheld a university’s use of race as a ‘plus factor’ in admissions to achieve a diverse student body, though this precedent was later overturned in 2023.
Common misconception: Affirmative action mandates strict racial quotas. The Supreme Court has consistently ruled that rigid racial quotas are unconstitutional; affirmative action programs must use race flexibly as one of many holistic factors, if at all.