Justice O’Connor writes the 5–4 majority opinion in Grutter v. Bollinger, upholding limited affirmative action in law school admissions.
On June 23, 2003, the Supreme Court announced its decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor authoring the 5–4 majority opinion that upheld the University of Michigan Law School’s limited use of race‑conscious admissions.
O’Connor’s opinion held that the law school’s holistic, individualized review of applicants, in which race was one factor among many, served a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body and was narrowly tailored to meet that interest. She emphasized that such policies must be subject to strict scrutiny and suggested that affirmative action should not be necessary indefinitely, expressing hope that in 25 years explicit racial preferences would no longer be needed.
Grutter was a pivotal decision in the law of affirmative action, confirming that diversity could constitute a compelling governmental interest and providing a constitutional framework under which universities nationwide structured their admissions programs. O’Connor’s reasoning balanced equal protection concerns with the realities of entrenched racial inequalities, reflecting her pragmatic approach.
The ruling had enduring implications for higher education, civil rights, and debates over merit, opportunity, and structural inequality. For women’s and minority students, it helped preserve pathways into elite institutions, influencing the composition of the legal profession and other leadership fields for decades.