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A Decade Later: Adarand And Croson And The Status Of Minority Preferences In Government Contracting, Lynn Ridgeway Zehrt

Law Faculty Scholarship

This Article analyzes sixteen decisions in an effort to assist governmental entities in achieving the noble goal of “confront[ing] the effects of racial discrimination”8 in government contracting. Part I summarizes the Supreme Court’s decisions in Adarand and Croson, focusing primarily on the Court’s definition of strict scrutiny in those decisions. It also includes a brief description of the historical development of affirmative action in government contracting. Part II explores the impact of the Adarand decision on federal programs and considers not only the statutory revisions prompted by that decision but also the subsequent appellate decisions that evaluated these federal programs …