On October 31, the US Supreme Court will hear two cases that will determine the future of race-conscious affirmative action. The most likely outcome is that the court will decide to outlaw the consideration of race in college admissions.
There has long been disagreement about affirmative action’s merits and pitfalls from all across the political spectrum. What is indisputable, however, is that without race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions, it will be harder, if not impossible, for the nation’s selective colleges and universities to serve a student population that reflects the diversity of American society.