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Supreme Court Will Re-Hear Texas Affirmative Action Case

Supreme Court of The United States

The Supreme Court says it will dive back into the fight over the use of race in admissions at the University of Texas, a decision that presages tighter limits on affirmative action in higher education.

The justices said Monday they will hear for a second time the case of Abigail Fisher, a white woman who was denied admission to the university's flagship Austin campus in 2008.

The conservative-leaning federal appeals court in New Orleans has twice upheld the university's admissions process, including in a ruling last year that followed a Supreme Court order to reconsider the Fisher's case.

Greg Fenves, the new president of the University of Texas says the school's use of race in some admissions creates a diverse student body that's an educational benefit. Fenves says the policy is "narrowly tailored" and constitutional.

Most of the student body enters under the state's so-called "top 10 percent rule" and the school includes race as a factor in reviewing additional applicants who meet a formula for personal achievement.

The Associated Press provided this story