Seattle University Law School is promoting a "webinar with national legal experts to analyze upcoming SCOTUS affirmative action decisions," to take place the day after the Supreme Court releases its opinion in the pending cases challenging racial preferences in admissions at Harvard and UNC.
Putting aside Seattle U. lawprofs who are participating, for whom I'll give the law school a pass, every single one of the eleven invited participants is a supporter of racial preferences. There is ideological diversity, but only in the sense that some of the participants are "mainstream" liberals, and some are Critical Race Theorists. Several of the panelists are known for arguing that current affirmative action policies, especially under the diversity rationale, are too conservative.
It strikes me that regardless of one's ideology, or what one thinks of affirmative action, a webinar on a decision to be issued by a conservative Supreme Court, which very likely will significantly restrict affirmative action preferences, should include experts whose views align to some degree with the Court (and, as a matter of public policy, with around 75% or so of Americans…)
