Racial Preferences
January 30, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
Sen. Lindsey Graham has long believed that a president’s judicial nominees should receive great deference from the Senate. He has made this clear over and over, both for nominees of Democrats and nominees of Republicans. For example, he defended his vote to confirm Justice Sotomayor on that basis. Graham’s view on the matter used to be shared by the vast majority of Senators. Today, almost no Senator really holds it,
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January 29, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
The virtues of a meritocracy may be lost on Harvard students like that “queer Middle Easterner,” but they come through clearly in this excellent New York Times article by Michael Powell. His piece deals with the subject through the lens of Brooklyn Tech, an elite New York City high school from which one of my cousins graduated in the 1960s. Brooklyn Tech hasn’t yielded to demands that it stop admitting
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January 28, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
They used to say that 1,000 Frenchmen can’t be wrong. But what about nine “diverse” Harvard students? The Harvard Gazette, a house organ that’s sent to every Harvard alum (including four current Supreme Court Justices), presents an article with the title “Students call ensuring diversity on campus vital.” The piece purports to describe the position of Harvard students regarding their college’s preferential admissions policy, a challenge to which is now
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January 28, 2022 — Steven Hayward
“The Underhandedness of Affirmative Action” is the title of Harvey Mansfield’s prescient article in National Review way back in 1984 (unfortunately not available online easily that I can find). A key sample: To understand the threat [that affirmative action poses to constitutional government], let us return to the necessity that affirmative action conceal the help it renders its beneficiaries. As a policy, it cannot claim success, because to announce an
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January 28, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
The Washington Post continues to maintain that Joe Biden has Republicans right where he wants them, thanks to his decision to appoint a black women to the Supreme Court. This article by Mike DeBonis is called (in the paper edition) “Supreme Court battle puts Republicans on the spot.” Dan Balz’s article is called “Breyer’s retirement gives Biden a fresh opportunity for a badly needed victory.” But I continue to believe
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January 27, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
After the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education, the Commonwealth of Virginia adopted a policy of “massive resistance” to school desegregation. The resistance was about finding ways to circumvent the Court’s ruling. It included a law forbidding any integrated schools from receiving state funds and authorizing the governor to close any such school. Virginia also adopted tuition grants to enable students to attend private, segregated schools. Now,
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January 26, 2022 — Scott Johnson
Linda Brown was the young girl who gave her name to the four cases consolidated for consideration in Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court case that effectively invalidated the regime of public school segregation. She died in 2018 at the age of 75 or 76. Neil Genzlinger’s New York Times obituary recounted her story. Genzlinger dealt inadequately with the Brown case. “In its ruling,” he wrote, “the
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January 25, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, a case challenging Harvard’s use of racial preferences in admissions for the benefit of Blacks. Today, Harvard’s president, Lawrence Bacow, sent a message to the Harvard community bemoaning the cert grant. By my count, the letter must have gone to four members of the Supreme Court by virtue of their having attended Harvard (and in one
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January 24, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
Following today’s decision by the Supreme Court to hear its case against Harvard, Students for Fair Admissions released a video describing how Harvard discriminates against Asian-Americans who seek admission. The video puts a human face on Harvard’s insulting and racist treatment of this whole category of applicants. Those interested in quantifying the extent of racial discrimination at top Ivy League schools can consult this post. It shows just how much
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January 24, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admission v. University of North Carolina. These cases allege racial discrimination in college admissions. The two university defendants, Harvard and UNC, prevailed in the lower courts. But now they must defend their blatant racial discrimination before a conservative-leaning Supreme Court. We have written pretty extensively about the Harvard case. Some of our
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January 13, 2022 — John Hinderaker
I wrote here about the fact that the State of Minnesota, under Governor Tim Walz, was engaging in blatant race discrimination in the distribution of monoclonal antibodies as a treatment for covid. In determining eligibility for such treatment, the state awarded points simply for being “BIPOC,” thereby irrationality and illegally discriminating against whites. As a result of criticism by me and others, as well as threatened civil rights litigation, the
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January 11, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
Lani Guinier, the law professor and civil rights attorney, died on January 7. The Washington Post’s obituary is here. The Post uses its obituary to settle old scores against Republicans and to make political/ideological points. Accordingly, the obit begins this way: Lani Guinier, a lawyer whose innovative and provocative writings on racial justice and voting rights were used to undermine her nomination to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division
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January 2, 2022 — John Hinderaker
Documentary evidence showing that the State of New York is discriminating against white people in providing access to covid treatments has provoked widespread outrage. Hans Bader has a good rundown, and both Hans and Paul Mirengoff point out that such discrimination by public agencies is illegal. But it isn’t only happening in New York. A friend who is a doctor received this communication from a local hospital network, indicating that
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January 1, 2022 — John Hinderaker
Who knew that Elizabeth Warren was part of a movement? Apparently she is one of a great number of people who try to advance their careers by pretending to be American Indians. We noted here a news report to the effect that close to 20 percent of white kids “identify” as Native American on their college applications–a strategy that apparently is often successful. Now the New York Post reports on
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January 1, 2022 — Paul Mirengoff
The state of New York has decided to distribute anti-covid treatments in part on the basis of race and ethnicity. It will discriminate against Whites in providing access to therapeutics in short supply, which monoclonal antibody treatment and antiviral pills currently are. The policy sets forth a list of eligibility criteria for oral antiviral treatment, all of which must be satisfied to receive treatment. They include factors of age, weight,
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December 6, 2021 — Paul Mirengoff
Some of California’s largest school districts are dropping D and F grades. Students who don’t learn the material, pass the final exam, or finish homework by the end of the semester would earn an “incomplete” which, I assume, could be converted to at least a “C” later on. Los Angeles Unified, Oakland Unified, Sacramento City Unified, San Diego Unified are among the districts that will make this move. According this
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November 25, 2021 — John Hinderaker
The theory of disparate impact is one of the most pernicious doctrines in the history of American law, and it has spread generally through the culture. Last night on the Tucker Carlson show, with Brian Kilmeade hosting, Heather Mac Donald explained in just a few minutes how disparate impact theory drives much that is making life in America increasingly unlivable: WATCH: My conversation with @kilmeade on @TuckerCarlson's show last night.
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