Supreme Court Upholds Affirmative Action Ban

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a ban on affirmative action in college admissions.

An appeals court had set aside Michigan's 2006 voter-approved ban on considering race as a factor in college admissions.

On Tuesday, the high court ruled the lower court did not have a right to set aside the will of the voters.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion, which said, "This case is not about how the debate about racial preference should be resolved ... it is about who may resolve it."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued the dissenting opinion. 

"Race matters," Sotomayor said. "Race matters in part because of the long history of racial minorities being denied access to the political process."

In earlier cases, the high court said that race-conscious selection can be constitutionally permissible in states that wish to use them.

The lawyer who challenged Michigan's ban on affirmative action said the Supreme Court's decision takes away the rights of minorities.