Final arguments in admissions suit against Harvard
During a final court appearance, lawyers representing Harvard again rejected allegations of discrimination against Asian American applicants to the College and warned Wednesday afternoon of dire consequences for all students if a group of activists succeed in their effort to eliminate race and ethnicity from among the many factors considered in the admissions process. The lawsuit was initially filed in 2014 by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), a group spearheaded by Edward Blum, a staunch opponent of race-conscious admissions who over many years has mounted legal assaults on civil rights protections for members of underrepresented minority groups. SFFA has filed a similar lawsuit against the University of North Carolina that claims the school uses race as more than a “plus” factor in admissions and has not explored other race-neutral alternatives to achieve diversity. Blum also was the driving force behind two earlier cases that challenged the use of a race in the...