Four whites who didn't get into the University of Texas law school have been waiting since spring for a ruling on their claim for damages. The trial ended in early April. However, given that this lawsuit has been pending for more than five years and the matters tried before the court earlier this year have been ripe for decision for over six months, they believe the request is both appropriate and reasonable. Besides discussing why Sparks hasn't ruled, the two plaintiffs said the conference would determine whether parties in the case could help speed it up. We're not joining in it.
Courts vary greatly in the amount of time it takes to issue an opinion.
This is an opinion which is going to require a great deal of consideration. The four plaintiffs successfully challenged a 1992 University of Texas law school admissions policy designed to boost enrollment of black and Mexican-American students. A federal appeals court found that the former policy, in use when the four unsuccessfully sought to enter the school, discriminated against whites. That decision was allowed to stand by the U.S. Supreme Court, and it has led to discontinuation of affirmative action policies at universities across the state. The case was sent back to U.S. district court to decide damages concerning the four plaintiffs.