Grutter v. Bollinger

law case

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July 19, 2026

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The Bollinger decisions refer to two U.S. Supreme Court cases in 2003 concerning affirmative action in university admissions. In Gratz v. Bollinger, the Court ruled that the University of Michigan's undergraduate admissions policy, which automatically awarded points based on race, violated the equal protection clause. However, in Grutter v. Bollinger, the Court upheld the University of Michigan Law School's admissions policy, which considered race as one factor among many in a holistic review, finding it was narrowly tailored to achieve diversity.

In 2023, the Supreme Court overturned Grutter v. Bollinger, ruling that the admissions policies of Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the equal protection clause by considering race. This decision effectively ended race-based affirmative action in college admissions across the United States.12

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affirmative action
…constitutionality of affirmative action (Grutter v. Bollinger), though it also ruled that race could not be the preeminent factor in such decisions, striking down the university’s undergraduate admissions policy that awarded points to students on the basis of race (Gratz v. Bollinger). Three years later admissions policies of the…
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…constitutionality of affirmative action (Grutter v. Bollinger), though it also ruled that race could not be the preeminent factor in such decisions, striking down the university’s undergraduate admissions policy that awarded points to students on the basis of race (Gratz v. Bollinger). Three years later admissions policies of the…
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Bollinger decisions
…Law School did not (Grutter v. Bollinger).
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…Law School did not (Grutter v. Bollinger).
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Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin
…the Fifth Circuit had misinterpreted Grutter v. Bollinger (2003; see Bollinger decisions) in giving deference to the university’s judgment that each applicant was evaluated as an individual and that its consideration of race was “necessary” to achieve the educational benefits of diversity. After the Fifth Circuit reexamined the policy in…
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…the Fifth Circuit had misinterpreted Grutter v. Bollinger (2003; see Bollinger decisions) in giving deference to the university’s judgment that each applicant was evaluated as an individual and that its consideration of race was “necessary” to achieve the educational benefits of diversity. After the Fifth Circuit reexamined the policy in…
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Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College
…the Court’s 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger (see Bollinger decisions), which permitted the limited consideration of race in the admissions policy of the University of Michigan Law School, should be overturned. The Grutter Court, in a majority opinion written by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, had found the law school’s
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…the Court’s 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger (see Bollinger decisions), which permitted the limited consideration of race in the admissions policy of the University of Michigan Law School, should be overturned. The Grutter Court, in a majority opinion written by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, had found the law school’s
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