Court rules that NYC inclusion policy does not disadvantage Asian Americans

Years after parents and advocates argued that an initiative by New York City officials violated the Equal Protection Clause, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit Wednesday. According to NBC News, Judge Edgardo Ramos denied the request from two Asian civil rights groups, a parent-teacher organization, and Asian American parents to stop a diversity initiative that has been instituted in New York City’s most selective high schools since 2018. 

The Southern District of New York judge dismissed the lawsuit, which accused city leaders of “gerrymandering” the city’s high school admissions process. Plaintiffs said the process discriminated against Asian Americans by increasing enrollment of disadvantaged students. According to Ramos, the policy could not have been discriminatory because more students of Asian descent had been offered admission under the measure, not fewer.