[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 99 (Friday, June 16, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S8526]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          THE ADARAND DECISION

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, last Monday's Supreme Court ruling in the 
Adarand case is good news for those who believe that the Federal 
Government works best when it works to unite all Americans of all 
backgrounds.
  In her majority opinion, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor correctly 
rejected the Clinton administration's position by insisting that 
Government-sponsored racial classifications, no matter how well 
intentioned, are inherently suspect and must meet the very highest 
standard of constitutional review--the standard of review known as 
strict scrutiny.
  Whatever our race or ethnic background, the simple truth is that we 
are all Americans. We all pledge allegiance to the same flag. We all 
pay taxes to the same Government. We all share the same hope of a 
better future for our children and grandchildren. And on the 
battlefield, we all bleed the same blood. As Justice Scalia said in his 
concurring opinion, and I quote:

       In the eyes of government, we are just one race. It is 
     American.

  No doubt about it, the evil of discrimination continues to exist in 
the America of 1995. And, unfortunately, we have not yet achieved the 
color-blind ideal for which so many have valiantly struggled. But 
fighting discrimination cannot become an excuse to divide Americans by 
race, by ethnic background, by gender.
  You do not cure discrimination with more discrimination.
  So, Mr. President, I welcome the Supreme Court's Adarand decision. It 
clarifies the standard of review that must be applied to Federal laws 
and regulations that grant preferences on the basis of race. And 
perhaps as important, it is a wake-up call to Congress to put the 
Federal Government's own troubled house in order.

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