America’s bosses grapple with threats to diversity policies

On june 29th America’s Supreme Court ended 45 years of affirmative action in university admissions. The decision did not change the laws that govern companies’ hiring and firing decisions. But it did put wind in the sails of those who think efforts by firms to increase the racial diversity of their workforces have already stepped beyond the rules. Bosses and their lawyers have since scrambled to make sense of the judgment’s implications. One big law firm, Morrison Foerster, wrote a memo to clients after the ruling, counselling them to ensure their diversity policies do not create “unlawful preferences”.