The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to take another look at affirmative action in college admissions, a boost to opponents of the practice.
The case will be heard in the court's next term, which begins in the fall.
The court agreed to re-hear a challenge to the affirmative action program at the University of Texas at Austin, which uses race as a plus factor to achieve a more diverse campus after first admitting the top ten percent of graduates from every Texas high school.
That program was challenged by a white applicant, Abigail Fisher.
Two years ago, the Supreme Court sent the base back to a federal appeals court for another round. The ruling said distinctions based on race are always legally suspect, so schools must show that no workable race-neutral alternatives would produce the educational benefits of diversity.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, applying that test, said the Texas plan passed. But the challengers disagreed and asked the Supreme Court to hear the case again.
