Petitioners Gratz and Hamacher, both of whom are Michigan residents and White, applied for admission to the University of Michigan and were denied admission. Petitioners filed suits alleging that the university’s use of racial preferences in undergraduate admissions violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 1981).

Outcome – Chief Justice Rehnquist delivered the majority opinion of the court in 2003 and stated, “Because the university’s use of race in its current freshman admissions policy is not narrowly tailored to achieve respondents asserted compelling interest in diversity, the admissions policy violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.” The Supreme Court ruled that the university’s point system was in violation of the plaintiffs consitituional rights and and denied them equal represenation under the 14th Amendement.

 


Wikipedia. Gratz v. Bollinger (Wikipedia, 2003). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratz_v._Bollinger