In a closely watched case involving the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, Prince Lobel Tye LLP signed an amicus brief in Fisher v. University of Texas, et. al., urging the Supreme Court of the United States to permit the University’s use of race in undergraduate admission decisions.
The brief submitted to the Supreme Court in Fisher highlights the value of race-conscious admissions policies and makes these and other points:
- Persons of color remain significantly under-represented in undergraduate student bodies, law schools and, consequently, the legal profession.
- Under-representation of lawyers of color harms the legal profession and society as a whole.
- According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 27.6 per cent of the population are persons of color. In contrast, persons of color accounted for only 11.1 per cent of the legal profession as of 2011.
- Between 2000 and 2009, the enrollment of law students of color increased by only 1.3 percent.
- The lack of diversity in the legal profession erodes public confidence in the judicial system.
- Diversity within the bar increases the capacity to provide culturally competent legal services to all clients, including some of the most disenfranchised populations seeking access to justice.
- The legal profession needs diversity in its ranks, and the additional skills and perspectives which diverse attorneys possess, in order to effectively attract, represent, and retain an increasingly diverse client base here and abroad.
- For many businesses, diversity is not only a matter of what may be socially desirable or just, but also a matter of sound business practices and economic survival.
- The limited use of race in educational admissions processes remains vital to the legal profession’s efforts to achieve racial and ethnic diversity.
Click here for more information about the BBA’s amicus brief and a full list of signatories. To contact a Prince Lobel attorney regarding this amicus brief, please contact Jeffrey J. Pyle at 617 456 8143 or jpyle@princelobel.com.