institution1883–present

University of Texas Law School

Disciplines:

Summary

The University of Texas Law School is the defendant in Hopwood v. Texas (1996), the Fifth Circuit case that temporarily banned race-conscious admissions in Texas.

Core Contribution

The law school's affirmative action program was struck down in Hopwood v. Texas (1996), forcing it to adopt race-neutral alternatives; the case is used in the lecture to explore the competing arguments for and against race-conscious admissions on grounds of rights, desert, and institutional mission.

Key Spikes & Highlights

Hopwood v. Texas defendant (its race-conscious admissions were struck down by the Fifth Circuit in 1996)
Texas Top 10% Plan (after Hopwood, Texas adopted a race-neutral plan guaranteeing admission to the top 10% of each high school's graduates)
Fisher v. University of Texas (the law school's undergraduate parent institution faced a second major Supreme Court challenge in Fisher I (2013) and Fisher II (2016))
Affirmative action debate centerpiece (used in the lecture to stage the competing arguments about desert, diversity, and mission in admissions)

Historical Influences

No recorded historical influences.

Intellectual Lineage

American legal education system Civil rights law

Contemporaries & Peers

Harvard University University of Michigan

Minds Influenced

No recorded minds influenced.

Intellectual Posterity

Hopwood v. Texas precedent

Discussing