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Grutter v. Bollinger April 1, 2003 (02-241) return to case listing Case Summary Petitioner is a white law school applicant who was denied admission to the University of Michigan Law School, and claims that the Law School?s consideration of race in the admissions process violated the Equal Protection Clause. The district court found in favor of the petitioner, but the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, finding that the Law School?s consideration of race to achieve a diverse student body served a compelling state interest, and that it was sufficiently narrowly tailored to achieve that end. The Law School's consideration of race and ethnicity did not use quotas and, although race and ethnicity, along with a range of other factors, were potential "plus" factors in a particular applicant's file, but they did not insulate an under-represented minority applicant from competition or act to foreclose competition from non-minority applicants. Case below: Grutter v. Bollinger, 288 F.3d 732 (C.A.6-Mich. 2002). To see the opinion of the lower court, click here. PREDICTED OUTCOME ACTUAL OUTCOME Forecasting Model Expert One Expert Two Expert Three 5-4 to Reverse 5-4 to Affirm 5-4 to Reverse 5-4 to Reverse 5-4 to Affirm VOTING TO REVERSE Rehnquist O'Connor Scalia Kennedy Thomas Rehnquist Scalia Kennedy Thomas Rehnquist O'Connor Scalia Kennedy Thomas Rehnquist O'Connor Scalia Kennedy Thomas Rehnquist Scalia Kennedy Thomas VOTING TO AFFIRM Stevens Souter Ginsburg Breyer Stevens O'Connor Souter Ginsburg Breyer Stevens Souter Ginsburg Breyer Stevens Souter Ginsburg Breyer Stevens O'Connor Souter Ginsburg Breyer return to case listing