Race and Regulatory Equity

• Pages: 395-407
• Date: 01 July 2024
• Published date: 01 July 2024
• Author: Ming H. Chen
• Subject Matter: Administrative & Public Law

Race and Regulatory Equity

MING H. CHEN*

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

I. LEGAL BACKGROUND ON RACE AND REGULATORY EQUITY IN

HIGHER EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

II. SCOPE OF REGULATORY REFORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398

A. Conservative Legal Theorists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398

B. Neo-Liberal Legal Theorists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

C. Progressive (Non-Reformist) Reforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

III. PROGRESSIVE, NEO-LIBERAL, AND CONSERVATIVE APPROACHES TO

LEGACY ADMISSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404

CONCLUSION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406

INTRODUCTION

As Harvard and universities nationwide redesign their admissions programs af-

ter Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College

1

they will need to navigate trip wires of regulation.

2

A growing list of universities have dropped the practice voluntarily, including Berkeley, MIT,

Amherst, Wesleyan, and Texas A&M. Mansee Khurana, Colleges are Ending Legacy Admissions to

Diversity Campuses Post-Aff‌irmative Action, NPR (July 29, 2023) https://www.npr.org/2023/07/26/

1190123330/naacps-ivory-toldson-discusses-the-investigation-into-harvard-legacy-admissions#:�:

text¼Hourly%20News-,Colleges%20consider%20ending%20legacy%20admissions%20to%20help%

20diversify%20campuses.,new%20measures%20to%20achieve%20diversity. [perma.cc/3ZAV-3ZMC].

From the start, President Biden has enacted numerous executive orders pro-

moting racial equity across government, including the Civil Rights Act, Title VI

[hereinafter Title VI] expansions in higher education. During his f‌irst month in

off‌ice, President Biden enacted an executive order (January 2021) that seeks

across-the-government measures “to advance racial equity and support for

* Professor and Harry & Lillian Hastings Research Chair, U.C. Law San Francisco; Faculty-

Director, Center for Race, Immigration, Citizenship, and Equality (RICE). Thank you to colleagues at

UC Law SF and Boyden Gray Center for lively conversation and helpful insights, especially Jodi Short,

Bijal Shah, Sabeel Rahman, Jace Lington, Jesse Miriam. © 2024, Ming H. Chen.

1. 600 U.S. 181 (2023) [hereinafter SSFA v. Harvard].

2.

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