“Affirmative action has always been an aberration from [America’s] best principles.The time has come to end it.”

—Terry Eastland

“If America ends affirmative action before addressing the underlying causes of inequality of opportunity, racial divisions will deepen.”

—Chang-Lin Tien

On November 5, 1996, California voters agreed to adopt the California Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), a ballot measure designed to end affirmative action programs in government hiring, contracting, and public education. Noting the widespread support that the initiative received both in California and throughout the United States, many policymakers view the CCRI as an example that other states—and perhaps the federal government—may eventually follow. Supporters of the CCRI would likely agree with California high school senior Scott Hunter’s comments on the initiative’s victory: “I’m all for it. I think it&rsquo...