Supreme Court Rulings on Civil Rights:
1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that segregation was constitutional, so long as the
groups were ‘separate but equal’.
1954 Brown v. Board overturned the Plessy case, ruling segregation unconstitutional.
1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, leading to Montgomery bus boycott.
1963 March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington DC, led by MLK.
1964 Civil Rights Act abolished state based practice of all discrimination.
1965 Voting Rights Act enforced equality on states and ended disenfranchisement of
black voters.
Supreme Court Rulings on AA:
1970 Swann v. Mecklenburg ordered policy of bussing
1974 Milken v. Bradley Detroit overruled bussing on the grounds that it should not be
the state’s responsibility as they had not caused the segregation
1978 UoCalifornia v. Bakke limited AA and claimed race could not come at the
expense of the majority.
1989 City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson overturned a rule that 30% of city contracts
had to go to minority owned firms on the basis that AA could not be used to remedy
past discrimination.
1995 Miller v. Johnson showed that the court rejecting redistricting plans in which race
was the deciding factor.
2003 Grutter v. Bollinger: 5-4 decision ruled that the University of Michigan’s law
school admissions procedure was constitutional as it used an individualised affirmative
action programme.
2003 Gratz v. Bollinger declared the University of Michigan’s racial quota system of
admissions unconstitutional as it was ‘too mechanistic’ due to giving 20 points out of
necessary 150 for BAME
2007 Meredith v. Jefferson Country BoE where the court struck down AA in Kentucky
because they assigned students to public schools purely to achieve racial balance.
2013 Fisher v. Uni of Texas ruled a 7-1 decision the court did not overturn AA but
slightly emphasized that AA programmes need to be scrutinised more thoroughly and
must prove other alternatives that do not include race have failed.
2014 Schuette v. Coalition to Defend AA: court questioned whether Michigan had
violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Upheld that the ban was
constitutional.
Supporters of AA argue:
● Moderate supporters argue AA levels the playing field
1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that segregation was constitutional, so long as the
groups were ‘separate but equal’.
1954 Brown v. Board overturned the Plessy case, ruling segregation unconstitutional.
1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, leading to Montgomery bus boycott.
1963 March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington DC, led by MLK.
1964 Civil Rights Act abolished state based practice of all discrimination.
1965 Voting Rights Act enforced equality on states and ended disenfranchisement of
black voters.
Supreme Court Rulings on AA:
1970 Swann v. Mecklenburg ordered policy of bussing
1974 Milken v. Bradley Detroit overruled bussing on the grounds that it should not be
the state’s responsibility as they had not caused the segregation
1978 UoCalifornia v. Bakke limited AA and claimed race could not come at the
expense of the majority.
1989 City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson overturned a rule that 30% of city contracts
had to go to minority owned firms on the basis that AA could not be used to remedy
past discrimination.
1995 Miller v. Johnson showed that the court rejecting redistricting plans in which race
was the deciding factor.
2003 Grutter v. Bollinger: 5-4 decision ruled that the University of Michigan’s law
school admissions procedure was constitutional as it used an individualised affirmative
action programme.
2003 Gratz v. Bollinger declared the University of Michigan’s racial quota system of
admissions unconstitutional as it was ‘too mechanistic’ due to giving 20 points out of
necessary 150 for BAME
2007 Meredith v. Jefferson Country BoE where the court struck down AA in Kentucky
because they assigned students to public schools purely to achieve racial balance.
2013 Fisher v. Uni of Texas ruled a 7-1 decision the court did not overturn AA but
slightly emphasized that AA programmes need to be scrutinised more thoroughly and
must prove other alternatives that do not include race have failed.
2014 Schuette v. Coalition to Defend AA: court questioned whether Michigan had
violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Upheld that the ban was
constitutional.
Supporters of AA argue:
● Moderate supporters argue AA levels the playing field
