Grutter v. Bollinger

Legal Documents

Lower Court Decision:

• Grutter v. Bollinger, 288 F.3d 732 (6^th Cir. May 14, 2002).
• Grutter v. Bollinger, 137 F. Supp. 2d 821 (E.D. Mich. March 27, 2001).

Oral Argument Transcript:

• Oral Argument, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241)

Briefs:

• Brief for Petitioners (Certiorari), Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief for Petitioners (Certiorari, Reply), Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief for Petitioners, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief for Petitioners (Merits, Reply), Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief for Respondent Bollinger (Certiorari), Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief for Respondent Bollinger, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief for Respondent James (Certiorari), Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief for Respondent James, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).

Amicus Briefs – Petitioner

• Brief of Amici Curiae Cato Institute, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae Law Professors Larry Alexander, et al., Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae for Certiorari States of Alabama, Delaware, et al., Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae State of Florida and Governor Bush, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae United States, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).

Amicus Briefs – Respondent

• Brief of Amici Curiae 13,922 Current Law Students at Accredited American Law Schools, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae American Bar Association, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae American Law Deans Association, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae Association of American Law Schools, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae Lt. Gen. Julius W. Becton, Jr., et al., Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae Representatives Conyers, Dingell, Rangel, et al., Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae Senators Daschle, Kennedy, Clinton, et al., Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae Representative Richard A. Gephardt, et al., Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae Law School Admission Council, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae Law School Deans Judith Areen, Katharine Bartlett, et al., Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., and ACLU, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae States of Maryland, New York, Arizona, California, et al., Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae State of New Jersey, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae University of Michigan Law Student Associations, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae University of Pittsburgh, Temple University, et al., Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).

Amicus Briefs – Supporting Neither Party

• Brief of Amici Curiae Anti-Defamation League, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).
• Brief of Amici Curiae Equal Employment Advisory Council, Grutter v. Bollinger, 123 S. Ct. 617 (2002) (No. 02-241).

Grutter v. Bollinger & Gratz v. Bollinger

Articles on Decisions

• Mark Anderson, U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Michigan’s Undergraduate Policy, Dow Jones News Service, June 23, 2003 (discusses O’Connor’s majority opinion in Grutter and its reliance on Bakke).
• Perry Bacon Jr., And the Winner Is … Affirmative Action, Time.Com, June 23, 2003 (argues that the decision was a loss for affirmative action opponents and more firmly entrenches the practice).
• George W. Bush, President Applauds Supreme Court Decision, The White house: Presidential News and Speeches, (Presidential statement ‘applaud[ing]’ the Supreme Court decision for balancing interests).
• Court Rejects Quotas, But Says Race May Play a Factor in Admissions, CNN.com, June 23, 2003, (basic sketch of the cases and differences in the two opinions).
• Anne Gearan, Supreme Court Split on Affirmative Action, Associated Press, June 23, 2003, (discusses the importance of these affirmative action cases and the decisional splits by the justices).
• Linda Greenhouse, Justices Back Affirmative Action 5-4, The New York Times, June 24, 2003, (cites a number of quotes from the O’Connor opinion).
• Peter Kirsanow, The Abominable Snow Job, National Review Online, June 24, 2003, (criticizes the opinion for its lack of finality, use of multiple concurrences and dissents, and failure to define what the compelling interest of the state is).
• Charles Lane, Affirmative Action in Diversity Is Upheld, Washington Post, June 24, 2003, (calls cases a “resounding endorsement” for affirmative action, discusses the role of the Bush administration and of the importance of Justice O’Connor, and includes a short summary of previous affirmative action cases).
• Sean Loughlin, Court’s Affirmative Action Decisions Adds Fuel to the Political Debate, CNN.com, June 23, 2003, (discuss the political implications of the decisions and the role they were certainly play in the upcoming presidential race).
• Susan Malveaux, Bush Praises Court for Recognizing ‘Value of Diversity,’CNN.com, June 23, 2003, (history of President Bush’s comments regarding affirmative action, including his most recent statement on the decisions).
• Warren Richey, Race in Admission Revised, Christian Science Monitor, June 24, 2003, (discusses significance of cases in allowing affirmative action to continue, also includes a short timeline of significant affirmative action events).
• David Rosenberg, Uphold the Status Quo, Newsweek, June 23, 2003, (arguing that the decisions are vague and do little more than uphold the status quo despite the hope for a definitive ruling).
• Split Decision on Affirmative Action, MSNBC.com, June 23, 2003, (general description of the decision, the extensive number of amicus briefs, and a discussion of the impact of time on affirmative action programs).
• David Stout, Supreme Court Splits on Diversity Efforts at University of Michigan, The New York Times, June 23, 2003, (discusses the decisions of Justices O’Connor and Thomas, argues that the impact of the cases will be widespread despite only technically applying to publicly funded universities).
• Thomas Disagrees In One Affirmative Action Ruling, Agrees In Other, Associated Press, June 23, 2003, (discusses Thomas’ role in the decisions).
• Top U.S. Court Upholds Race-Based College Admissions, Bloomberg.com, June 23, 2003, (refers to both sides of the affirmative action debate declaring a victory, discusses the remarks of the Bush administration, and the effect of the business community).
• Nina Trottenberg, High Court Issues Split Decisions on Affirmative Action, NPR, (general analysis by Nina Trottenberg on the decisions and their importance).
• Patti Waldmeir, U.S. Top Court Backs Affirmative Action Principle, Financial Times, June 23, 2003, (discusses the powerful groups on each side of the debate).
• James Vincini, Top Court Splits on University Race Preferences, Reuters (UK), June 23, 2003, (discusses the O’Connor and Rehnquist majority opinions in the two decisions).
• Juan Williams, Affirmative Action Decision, NPR, (NPR interview of Todd Guizano, The Herritage Foundation and Lani Guinier, Harvard University, by Juan Williams about the decisions).

Non-Legal Sources

• Debating Racial Preference (website devoted to information on the use of racial preferences, includes arguments for and against affirmative action and has a section on Supreme Court cases discussing affirmative action, including Grutter & Gratz).
• Tom Brokaw, A Question of Fairness, Dateline NBC, (interactive look at the affirmative action debate with video including a history of the Bakke decision and affirmative action at the University of Michigan, reported by Tom Brokaw).
• Tom Curry, Court to Define ‘Equal’ Once Again, MSNBC.com, June 5, 2003, (includes a short history of equal protection and a discussion of the political division on the Court).
• Carl Gutierrez-Jones, The Affirmative Action and Diversity Project, (non-biased resource for researching affirmative action issues, includes a site with links to a number of older news articles on the University of Michigan cases).
• Randall Kennedy, Affirmative Reaction: The Courts, the Right and the Race Question, The American Prospect, 14:3, March 1, 2003, at 49, (discussing the history of Bakke, the current split among the circuits in dealing with affirmative action cases, and the potential votes of the justices based on their opinions in previous cases).
• Nicholas Lemann, The Empathy Defense: Can the University of Michigan Save Affirmative Action, The New Yorker, December 18, 2000, at 46 (background of the cases, biography of the named plaintiffs and college president, and a discussion of Bakke).
• University of Michigan, Information on Admissions Lawsuits, (resource designed primarily for journalists discussing the University of Michigan’s fight against the lawsuits challenging its admissions policies, includes court filings, research on affirmative action, summary of facts, and links to a few newspaper articles).

Legal Sources

• Symposium, Confront Realities: The Legal, Moral, and Constitutional Issues Involving Diversity: Affirmative Action, 66 Alb. L. Rev. 433 (2003) (symposium held on the constitutional issues of affirmative action).
• Dawn R. Swink, Back to Bakke: Affirmative Action Revisited in Educational Diversity, 2003 BYU Educ. & L.J. 211 (2003) (arguing that if race is used as a factor in admissions decisions to ensue diversity, it should be a compelling governmental interest).
• Mark R. Fletcher, Comment: A Tale of Two Cases; Grutter, Gratz, and the Constitutional Limits of Affirmative Action in Higher Eduction, 2002 L. Rev. M.S.U.-D.C.L. 965 (2002) (attempts to rationalize the different decisions reached in Grutter and Gratz).
• Symposium, Affirmative Action in Higher Education: The Affirmative Action Debate, 40 Harv. J. on Legis. 195 (2003) (symposium including two panels on the constitutionality of affirmative action and the merits of a race based admissions process)

Certiorari Grant

Commentary

Edited Case