Lanhee J Chen, Columnist

Affirmative Action Defenders Ignore These Facts

Critics of the recent Supreme Court decision say it will mean fewer minorities on campus. The evidence from California says otherwise.

April 30, 2014 at 8:13 PM UTC

By Lanhee J Chen

Lanhee Chen is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution who also teaches public policy at Stanford University. He was the policy director of Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. Chen was a senior official at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the George W. Bush administration. He practiced business litigation with the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and served as the Winnie Neubauer visiting fellow in health policy studies at the Heritage Foundation. Chen earned his doctorate and master's degree in political science from Harvard University, his law degree from Harvard Law School and his bachelor's degree in government from Harvard College.

The racial makeup of California's colleges is changing. Photographer: Chip Chipman/Bloomberg — The racial makeup of California's colleges is changing. Photographer: Chip Chipman/Bloomberg

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Critics of the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the ban on affirmative action in admissions to the University of Michigan argue that it will hurt underrepresented minorities and result in a less diverse student body. The evidence from California says that argument is wrong.

The court's decision in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, and an effort last month in California to reinstate the consideration of race in admissions to its public universities, has again brought the issue into the national spotlight. Advocates of affirmative action have emphasized the oft-repeated mantra that when racial preferences aren't used in admissions, underrepresented minorities (Latinos and blacks in particular) have a tougher time getting into, enrolling in, and succeeding at competitive institutions of higher learning.