The Atlantic

The Harvard Trial Doesn’t Matter

The lawyers challenging the university are testing out their arguments to see which ones stick ahead of a potential appeal to the Supreme Court.
Source: Todd Gipstein / Getty

William R. Fitzsimmons leaned in and peeked over his glasses. “I’m not sure I understand your question,” he said into the microphone. It was the second day of arguments in the trial accusing Harvard of discriminating against Asian American applicants, and Harvard’s longtime admissions chief was on the witness stand.

John Hughes, a lawyer for Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), had been lobbing

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