Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1: Dubious Prospects for Diversity as a Compelling Governmental Interest

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Mark Bradbury Ph.D., Associate Professor, Director of MPA Program (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/

Abstract: The Supreme Court applied strict scrutiny to diversification plans for public high school enrollment in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 (2007). Unlike the diversity plan upheld in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), where law school applicants were potentially denied a benefit, all students in the Seattle plan were awarded a high school seat but perhaps not in their preferred school. Nevertheless, this plan was struck down by the Court as a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, on the grounds that it was not sufficiently narrowly tailored. The question of whether diversity can withstand the other aspect of strict scrutiny, serving a compelling government interest, was not as definitively answered, although the prospects appear dim. A reasonable inference from Parents Involved for public human resource management is that race-conscious diversity plans are not likely to receive constitutional cover from the current Court.

Additional Information

Publication
Bradbury, M. D. (2008) Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1: Dubious prospects for diversity as a compelling governmental interest. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 28(4): 385-391. (Dec 2008). Published by Sage (ISSN: 0734-371X). DOI:10.1177/0734371X08317601
Language: English
Date: 2008

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