Michigan's Republican Attorney General Mike Cox, in an interview with Bill Ballenger published in July 2003 in Ballenger's Inside Michigan Politics, was asked about his refusal to submit a brief for the State of Michigan on the Grutter and Gratz cases against the University of Michigan. He took a position which, if widely adopted, would entirely reorient the concept of affirmative action around an economic rather than a racial pole.
Cox advocated for what he calls "class-based" affirmative action -- that is, affirmative action for those whose opportunities are limited due to economic factors. Cox observed that the children of African-American businessmen and political figures have just about the same opportunities for education and advancement today as children of whites in comparable positions. If efforts to enhance educational opportunities are aimed at those whose economic condition limits their alternatives, he noted, this will primarily benefit African-American and Hispanic populations, without improperly targeting them based on their race.
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