California Sunset: O'Connor's Post-Affirmative Action Ideal Comes of Age in California

In the shadow of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold race-conscious policies in Fisher v. University of Texas (2016), and midway to Justice O'Connor's 25-year sunset clause in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), affirmative action remains contentious. This qualitative theoretical study posits that we need not speculate about O'Connor's aspirational deadline, suggesting that by 2028 race would presumably no longer be a necessary consideration in university admissions. California has been living O'Connor's post-affirmative action ideal for two decades and by all accounts the elimination of race-conscious affirmative action has left an indelible and as of yet irreparable mark on the Golden State.