(Originally published by The Chronicle of Higher Education on September 2, 2022) 

Most observers of the Supreme Court expect that it will declare affirmative action unconstitutional next year in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina. The plaintiff’s case isn’t strong. Asian American students are admitted in lower numbers than their grades and standardized-test scores alone would predict, but most of the statistical disparity is attributable not to affirmative action but to admissions considerations such as regional diversity, athletic talent, alumni and donor preferences, and subjective evaluation—all of which favor white applicants at the expense of Asian Americans.

(Continue reading the opinion essay on The Chronicle of Higher Education’s page here.)