Texas medical schools accused of bias against white, Asian men
A LAWSUIT filed Tuesday (10) accuses six state-run medical schools in Texas of violating federal anti-discrimination laws by giving preferences to female and non-Asian minority applicants.
The lawsuit by George Stewart, a white man who was denied admission to the schools, is the latest challenge to affirmative action policies that are commonly used by US schools to boost enrollment of black, Hispanic and female students.
The US Supreme Court’s conservative majority in October seemed skeptical of the legality of race-conscious admissions policies in cases involving Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.
The University of Texas and Texas Tech University, which operate the schools named in the new lawsuit, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Stewart’s lawsuit in Lubbock, Texas, federal court was filed by conservative group America First Legal (AFL) and Jonathan Mitchell, a former Texas solicitor general who represents various conservative causes. AFL was formed by Stephen Miller, who was a top aide to Republican former President Donald Trump.
According to the lawsuit, Stewart in 2021 obtained enrollment data for the six schools after he was denied admission.
Stewart alleged that the data revealed that Black, Hispanic and female students at the schools had significantly lower grade-point averages or test scores than white, Asian and male students. Stewart said in the complaint that the data showed that the schools gave preferences to female and non-Asian minority applicants.
Stewart accused the schools of violating federal laws prohibiting race and sex discrimination in federally funded educational programs.
AFL in September filed a lawsuit accusing Texas A&M University of violating the same laws by adopting policies designed to diversify its faculty, such as setting aside funds to supplement the salaries of minority faculty members. The school has denied wrongdoing.
US Supreme Court conservatives lean against race-conscious student admissions.
The fate of race-conscious admissions
The US Supreme Court, which now has a strong conservative majority, is expected to rule on a handful of cases concerning higher education this year.
The court will likely decide the fate of race-conscious admissions this summer, when it issues opinions on major cases heard this term. The justices are weighing the merits of separate lawsuits challenging admission practices at two institutions — Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Both lawsuits were brought by the anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions. Although the details of the cases differ, they target the colleges’ race-conscious practices, arguing they unfairly disadvantage certain students while favoring others.
During oral arguments in October, the conservative justices appeared skeptical about whether affirmative action policies should continue. They repeatedly asked when race-conscious admissions can end, citing a landmark 2003 opinion that preserved affirmative action in higher education but predicted such policies would be unneeded in 25 years.
Given the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, legal experts believe colleges should prepare now for race-conscious admissions to end.
The case will affect only a sliver of selective colleges, as most institutions accept most of their applicants. But it’s still important for higher ed and beyond, because the potentially affected institutions tend to be wealthy and give students an inside track to powerful positions in business and government.