Supreme Court Takes Maryland Admissions Case

The Supreme Court agreed to hear Association for Education Fairness v. Montgomery County Board of Education, challenging admissions at four Maryland magnet middle schools. The justices limited the case to whether challengers alleging racial discrimination by a race-neutral policy must show aggregate harm compared with the group’s share of applicants. Lower courts dismissed the parents’ lawsuit after applying that applicant-pool comparison. The case follows the court’s 2023 ruling against race-conscious college admissions, which left questions about race-neutral diversity efforts. The parent group says the changes disadvantaged Asian American students; the board says the lottery is race-neutral and pandemic-driven. Arguments are expected next term, with a decision by term’s end.