Edward Blum, the founder of the group that brought Thursday's Supreme Court case, made it clear in a statement that he would be watching schools' reaction closely. But such programs could draw legal challenges claiming that schools are simply using other criteria as a substitute for race. A divided appeals court rejected the parents' claim, but many legal observers say the Supreme Court could choose to take up the case. Some employment lawyers also warned that Thursday's decision, while focused on colleges, nevertheless could encourage more legal challenges to corporate diversity and inclusion programs. But in practice, corporate programs can sometimes give the appearance of granting preferences to particular groups, and the Supreme Court ruling could fuel opposition to them, said Krissy Katzenstein, a partner at Baker McKenzie in New York who represents employers.

---

Persons: McKenzie, John Roberts, Roberts, Dayna Bowen Matthew, George Washington, Brian Fitzpatrick, Edward Blum, Blum, Evan Caminker, Krissy Katzenstein, Baker McKenzie, Joseph Ax, Dan Wiessner, Tom Hals, Amy Stevens, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Baker, . Constitution, Vanderbilt University, University of Michigan, Companies, Thomson Locations: ., California, Virginia, New York