“SFFA and its members have suffered and will continue to suffer irreparable harm due to the acts and omissions of Defendants in violating Texas constitutional and statutory law,” the petition said. “The use of race as a factor in the admissions process at UT Austin causes certain applicants to be treated less favorably than other applicants based on their race.” 

Students for Fair Admissions said white and Asian students are at a disadvantage in the admissions system. The Lawyers’ Committee argues there is no advantage and the policies are correcting existing inequalities. 

Angela Kang, president of spirit group Texas Orange Jackets and an Asian American, submitted testimony on behalf of her and the Orange Jackets saying that attending classes with students of different identities changes the discussion of certain topics.

“People often discuss how their families haven’t had access to health care or we talk about certain racialized, unethical experiments in the past,” biology senior Kang said. “I have a more informed view of what ethics looks like in biology with the voice of people who have been traditionally impacted by these decisions.”

English junior Adaylin Alvarez also provided testimony. Her mother immigrated to Texas before she was born, and she said her mother struggled financially and with her citizenship status. Alvarez was automatically admitted into UT, but she said she faced inequalities in her educational opportunities, such as summer camps and tutoring, because of her background.

“My high school didn’t have funds for certain classes and extracurriculars,” Alvarez said. “Based on the setbacks that I had, (UT) needs to grade people like me at that level and not at the same level as everyone else who had more opportunities growing up. The fact that we still got good grades while struggling with all these other things is worth a lot.”

Editor's Note: This story was updated to correct the dates of the Student for Fair Admissions court cases.