On April 22, 2014, the United States Supreme Court, in a 6-2 decision (with Justice Kagan recused), upheld a Michigan ballot initiative that amended the state constitution to prohibit the use of race conscious admissions policies at state universities. The case, Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, (Case No. 12-682), concerned whether, and in what manner, voters in a state can prohibit consideration of such race conscious policies. In a fractured opinion, the Court held that the voter-approved amendment did not run afoul of the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and that the electorate is the proper entity for deciding these questions.
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