Wisconsin Supreme Court rules against race-based scholarships
- On Thursday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously ruled the state's 40-year-old race-based college grant program unconstitutional, finding it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
- Established in 1985, the Minority Undergraduate Retention Grant program provided financial aid to Black, American Indian, Hispanic, and certain Southeast Asian students to help overcome educational barriers.
- The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty sued the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board in 2021, arguing the program's race-based criteria amounted to discrimination by excluding students of other backgrounds.
- During the 2023-24 school year, the Higher Educational Aids Board awarded nearly $800,000 in grants to 770 students, with recipients receiving up to $2,500 annually to defray college costs.
- Justice Jill Karofsky concurred with the ruling, citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent, but noted systemic racism persists and suggested targeting economically disadvantaged students as an alternative for retention efforts.
49 Articles
49 Articles
Sen. Wimberger: Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously strikes down race-based DEI scholarship program
MADISON – Senator Eric Wimberger (R-Gillett) released the following statement after the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared the state’s Minority Undergraduate Retention Grant Program to be unconstitutional: “Today, the state Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the policy outcome of my bill, Assembly Bill 669,...
Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down race-based college scholarships
State gave $440,433 to ‘Black American, American Indian, Hispanic‘ students in 2023-2024 academic year The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down a state-funded scholarship program Thursday that awarded financial aid to college students based on certain racial categories — a decision that drew praise from conservative legal groups. Dan Lennington, an attorney at the Wisconsin Institute for… Source
Wisconsin Supreme Court rules college minority grant unconstitutional
In a unanimous ruling Thursday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared undergraduate retention grants for certain minority students are unconstitutional. The ruling is based on precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023 that significantly curtailed race-based college admissions. Thursday’s decision by the state’s high court will end the minority grant program that was established by the state Legislature in the 1985-87 biennial budget. Awards…
WI Supreme Court rules Minority Undergraduate Retention Grant Program, in place since 1985, unconstitutional
Wisconsin's Supreme Court ruled that a state grant program providing financial aid to certain minority students at private and technical colleges violates the U.S. Constitution's Equal Protection Clause.
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