Affirmative Action: Its Importance

"Today, we’re going to talk about affirmative action. As you may remember, the Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in a pair of cases that challenge race-conscious admissions policy at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. As you will also recall, back in February, I discussed those cases with Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, who is a named defendant in two landmark Supreme Court decisions upholding affirmative action in higher education.

"Those precedents are now in jeopardy, serious jeopardy. Now, it turns out that several of my law partners at WilmerHale have been representing Harvard in defense of affirmative action, from the trial court all the way to the Supreme Court, and one of those lawyers is my guest today, longtime Civil Rights Lawyer, Debo Adegbile. Debo currently serves on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Earlier in his career, he served as Director of Litigation and acting President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He’s also served as Senior Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Debo, welcome to the show."

Click on the link below for a 24-min podcast on the subject:

In Brief: Affirmative Action at the High Court