Adam Winkler, an expert in constitutional law, gun policies and the Supreme Court, joined the Marlborough community on Tuesday, Sept. 26 to discuss the recent Supreme Court decision regarding affirmative action in college and university admissions. Winkler is the Connell Professor of Law at UCLA and has written numerous critically acclaimed works, most notably “We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights” and “Gunfights: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America.”
The Pushing Perspectives, organized by Dean of Student Life Kendall Beeman and Debate Coach and Program Head Adam Torson, had the objective of educating students on the topic of affirmative action and its correlation to college admissions.
“There were a lot of important cases that were decided over the summer, and we figured that people might want to learn about them at school, so we wanted to provide a space for them to talk about it, but also bring in experts,” Beeman said.
In June 2023, a case regarding affirmative action and college admissions was taken to the Supreme Court.
Students for Fair Admissions, the non-profit that sued Harvard College and the University of North Carolina, stated the universities were intentionally not admitting qualified students of Asian descent in order to maintain a diverse community, as Asian students are generally well-represented in higher education facilities.
Following the Supreme Court ruling, universities will no longer be allowed to use race as a consideration in admissions. For some students, the Pushing Perspectives was an opportunity to gain more clarity on the affirmative action case and understand its effects.
“I went to the Pushing Perspectives because I had heard about the Supreme Court deeming affirmative action unconstitutional, but I didn’t know why or what the repercussions would look like,” Juliet ‘26 said.
Winkler spoke about the loopholes that will allow universities to maintain a racially diverse student body. He discussed how schools can create new essay questions that place a greater emphasis on personal identity and race connotation in everyday life. Winkler explained that there will likely be an increase in the percentage of students who are white or Asian identifying, and a decrease in African-American, Chicano and Hispanic students.
“Professor Winkler’s insight really explained and broadened my understanding of what the implications of affirmative action cases could be,” Ruby ‘26 said.
