A federal judge has affirmed the legality of a scholarship program for black students at the University of Maryland at College Park, based on evidence of present effects of past discrimination provided by the university itself. (MSE)

The Justice Department's antitrust investigation of private-college collaboration on student financial aid (the Overlap Group) has closed, with charges against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology dropped and announcement of a new system by which institutions may share information. Institutions are skeptical about the practicality of the new…

A Supreme Court ruling found that federal programs or policies based on race must meet a legal test of strict scrutiny, requiring the program to demonstrate a compelling government interest and be narrowly tailored. Legal experts suggest that few federal affirmative action programs currently meet the standard. (MSE)

In briefs filed with the Supreme Court, the Clinton administration, higher-education and civil-rights groups, colleges, and law schools are urging the court to uphold the legality of race-exclusive scholarships in a University of Maryland case. The briefs emphasize the scholarships' value in promoting diverse student bodies. (MSE)

The Supreme Court has ruled public colleges may not deny funds to student groups because they engage in religious activities. The case, involving the University of Virginia, sets looser standards for separation of church and state in higher education. Some see it as providing new protections against censorship and withdrawal of funds. Text of the…

Justice Department documents prepared for an antitrust lawsuit suggest that the way the eight Ivy League colleges and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have recruited students and awarded financial aid amounts to price fixing. The Overlap Group, 23 elite private colleges, met regularly to compare financial aid packages offered to common…

The U.S. Supreme Court decision that it is unconstitutional for public entities to ban specific kinds of "fighting words" without banning all such speech is discussed as it concerns institutions of higher education. It is viewed that the college campus, not the cities, is where this decision will be tested. (GLR)

The Chancellor of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the new governor are in conflict over proposals for budget-cutting in the declining state economy and over payments received by the chancellor after leaving a college presidency. (MSE)

In a University of Texas-Austin case in which four white applicants to the law school were rejected, a federal judge has upheld the college's right to consider race and ethnicity as admissions factors, but also outlined strict limits on use of affirmative action in assessing applicants, which could pose legal problems for some colleges. (MSE)

The recent Supreme Court refusal to hear a case appeal may prevent some church-related colleges from hiring only faculty sharing their beliefs. The earlier decision, involving hiring in a private elementary/secondary school, held that the institution was primarily secular, not religious by nature. (MSE)