BUS207 INTRODUCTION TO LAW

Muhammad Muneeb Hussain

182005087

Dear Teacher, I missed all my previous classes due to late registration of the courses so
please excuse my mistakes. Thank You.

QUESTIONS

1. What does the Equal Protection Clause provide? Should the government ever be
allowed to treat persons differently because of their race? Explain.
2. Is it socially responsible for the University of Michigan Law School to consider a
minority applicant’s race as a plus factor in its admissions decisions?
3. Is anyone hurt by the University of Michigan Law School’s race-conscious
admissions policy? Explain.

ANSWERS

1. Equal Protection Clause is a clause which states that “nor shall any State … deny to
any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”. In other words, it
means that it provides an authoritatively command that all individuals should be
treated equally by the law despite their race and gender. This clause was to end and
prevent government discrimination.
The government should never be allowed to treat individual differently because of
their race, and this is why the Equal Protection Clause was implemented to avoid
such acts.

2. Firstly, in the US law the “plus factor” means that any trait of an individual for
example their race could give the individual an advantage under the affirmative
action.
Secondly, in my conclusion, I disagree with the University of Michigan Law School for
considering a minority application’s race as a plus factor in its admission decisions,
admissions should be based on academic, talent and skills despite their races and
culture.
However, if this act was taken to promote diversity in their school only than I would
have approved it as it indicates that all individuals are equal and important and in
other cases, diversity adds more quality to the educational programs as it
encourages and allows to understand a broader world view.
3. Barbara Grutter was hurt by the University of Michigan Law School’s race-conscious
admissions policy. She had a 3.8 undergraduate grade and a 161 LAST score which
should have gotten her into the university however she was rejected as she was not
given the plus factor as she was Caucasian and as per the case study, Caucasians and
Asians were not given the plus factor. The plus factor only gave advantage to Blacks,
Hispanics, and Native Americans. This act was a discrimination.

The University of Michigan Law School should have either removed race-conscious
from their admissions and considered everyone student equally and accepted them
from their grades, their talent and skills, not their race. Or, the University of
Michigan Law School could have considered Caucasians and Asians in their plus
factors, giving Barbara Grutter an advantage of her race.