Articles

The Economist on affirmative action

May 07, 2013 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

Last week, The Economist‘s cover story argued against the continued use of race-based affirmative action in the United States.  The lead article is well worth your time and can be found here.  The article discusses the upcoming decision in Fisher as well as the recent grant in Schuette — two cases that PLF has been … ...

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Coverage of PLF at the Supreme Court for Schuette

October 22, 2013 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

Last week I was in Washington, D.C. for the oral argument in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action.  This is the case that is challenging whether voters have the right to prohibit racial preferences by government.  In 1996, California voters becase the first to adopt such a ban when they passed Proposition 209, and since that time ...

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Surprise, surprise : California Attorney General urges Supreme Court to uphold disparate impact

October 29, 2013 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

Sadly, we’re not surprised by this news.   The California Attorney General filed a brief in support of racial preferences in Fisher.   The California AG filed a brief in favor of the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County. The California AG filed a brief against the constitutionality of Proposal 2 in Sc ...

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Supreme Court victory in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action

April 22, 2014 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

After eight years of litigation, Michigan’s decision to ban governmental racial classifications has been upheld by the Supreme Court. PLF has been heavily involved in this case since its inception — we represented the ballot sponsors — and this decision is great news.  You can read the opinion here.  I’ll have more on the ...

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PLF's Meriem Hubbard in the USA Today on Schuette

April 23, 2014 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

PLF Principal Attorney Meriem Hubbard authored this op-ed in the USA Today this morning. Here’s a snippet: Counting Michigan, six states have outlawed race-based preferences at the polls. Now, with the green light from the court, voters everywhere should consider following suit. As society becomes more diverse, it becomes more and more divis ...

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Obama Administration urges further discrimination in the wake of Schuette

May 06, 2014 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

In its crusade to make America a racially polarized nation, the Obama Administration has had a tough couple of years.  Despite repeated pleas for the continued use of racial preferences, and its crusade to inject disparate impact into every facet of American life, both the people and the the courts aren’t biting. In Fisher and Shelby Count ...

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Brown signs bill that purports to overturn Schuette

October 14, 2014 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

Ten days ago, Governor Brown signed AB 2646 into law.  The stated purpose of the statute is return the law to where it was before the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Schuette v. BAMN — the case that upheld the Michigan voters ability to amend their constitution to prohibit racial preferences. The statute basically creates … ...

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Democracy, distrust, and the Schuette dissent

November 04, 2014 | By WENCONG FA

Today is Election Day. As Justice Sotomayor noted in her dissent in Schuette v. BAMN, “we are fortunate to live in a democratic society. But without checks, democratically approved legislation can oppress minority groups. For that reason, our Constitution places limits on what a majority of the people may do.” That’s absolutely ...