The term for efforts to improve opportunities for minorities, generally in employment and college admissions. It's a standard topic for Supreme Court confirmation hearings, particularly after a 2003 Supreme Court decision that predicted affirmative action wouldn't be necessary in 25 years. Senators may bring up a comment Kavanaugh made in 1999 about a different Supreme Court case, saying he believed it was "one more step along the way in what I see as an inevitable conclusion within the next 10 to 20 years when the court says we are all one race in the eyes of government."
Hundreds participate in a rally outside the Supreme Court in Washingtoin, Tuesday, April 1, 2003. Hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse Tuesday morning, hours ahead of oral arguments in the University of Michigan affirmative action case. Many people bore signs and chanted slogans supporting affirmative action. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
