What did Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (2013) decide about race-conscious admissions?

• A. Upheld the university's race-conscious admissions program under strict scrutiny.
• B. Struck down the university's race-conscious admissions program.
• C. Allowed race-based admissions only if race is the primary determinant.
• D. Replaced race considerations with an index-based scoring system.

Answer: (A)

Race-conscious admissions must pass strict scrutiny: a university may consider race only as part of a narrowly tailored plan to achieve the compelling interest of increasing student diversity, and it must avoid quotas or mechanical rankings. In Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (2013), the Supreme Court held that UT's policy—using race as one factor in a holistic, individualized review—could survive strict scrutiny. The Court did not strike it down; instead it vacated the lower court’s ruling and sent the case back to ensure the program is applied in a narrowly tailored way, with evidence that it is necessary to achieve diversity. This is why the best choice reflects that the program could be upheld under strict scrutiny. The other options don’t fit because they describe striking it down, making race the primary determinant, or replacing it with an index-based system, none of which align with the Court’s approach in this decision.