Affirmative Action

Affirmative action refers generally to practices that are intended to promote opportunities for members of historically disadvantaged groups. Although some affirmative action measures, such as improving outreach in disadvantaged communities, are seldom controversial, other measures are hotly contested. Most legal claims brought over affirmative action programs are brought not by the intended recipients of those programs, but by others who believe they were disadvantaged because a company's policy favored minority or female candidates.