June 23, 2016: U.S. Supreme Court Decides Fisher v. University of Texas: Statement by New York State Bar Association President

June 23, 2016: U.S. Supreme Court Decides Fisher v. University of Texas: Statement by New York State Bar Association President

6.23.2016

By Communications Department

Claire P. Gutekunst, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement about today’s U. S. Supreme Court’s decision in Abigail Noel Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, et al.

“We are pleased the Supreme Court has upheld its 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger that racial diversity in higher education is a compelling government interest.

“The New York State Bar Association, which filed amicus briefs in this case in 2012 and 2015, does not take a position on the specifics of the University of Texas’s admissions policy. The briefs focused on the importance of increasing diversity in the legal profession by fostering greater diversity in higher education.

“Increasing the diversity of the legal profession can be achieved only if colleges and universities graduate substantial numbers of students of color who can attend law school. When judges, prosecutors and attorneys reflect the diversity of our nation, public confidence in our criminal and civil justice systems will be enhanced.”

The 74,000-member New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. It was founded in 1876.

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Contact: Lise Bang-Jensen
Director of Media Services & Public Affairs
lbang-jensen@nysba.org
518/487-5530