Hearing moved up in LSA lawsuit

n Oral arguments for summary judgement rescheduled for Nov. 16

By Jen Fish

Daily Staff Reporter

Oral arguments have been moved up to Nov. 16 for the summary judgment in the lawsuit challenging the use of race as a factor in admission to the College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts.

The hearing will be held in Judge Patrick Duggan's courtroom at 9 a.m. in federal court for the Eastern District of Michigan, located in Detroit.

Originally filed in October of 1997, this lawsuit and a similar one facing the Law School have been subject to numerous delays. A motion in September postponed the hearings from Sept. 18 to Nov. 21 due to an illness on the University's defense team.

While University spokesman Julie Peterson said it was not clear why the hearing have been moved up, she said the University will be ready.

"This is a small change in the schedule," Peterson said. "We've been preparing for many months and we look forward to the beginning of the process."

Last spring both sides in the case submitted motions for a summary judgment, which is a decision based on evidence presented to the court without a trial.

If a summary judgment is not granted, the case is expected to go to trial sometime in December.

The Washington-based Center for Individual Rights filed the case on behalf of Jennifer Gratz, who alleges that she was not admitted to the University because her spot was taken by less qualified minorities. The CIR also filed a case against the Law School on behalf of Barbara Grutter.

The trial for the Law School case is still scheduled for Jan. 16, 2001.