This is sure to drive those left wing "radical egalitarians" nuts.

Supreme Court upholds Michigan affirmative action ban

The US Supreme Court has upheld a voter-approved ban on racial preferences in university admissions in the US state of Michigan.

In a 6-2 ruling, the court said voters there had the right to prohibit public universities from taking race into account in admissions decisions.

It leaves in place a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2006.

The decision could spur activists in other states to push for similar ballot initiatives.

"This case is not about how the debate about racial preferences should be resolved. It is about who may resolve it," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion in the case of Schuette v Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action.

"The courts may not disempower the voters from choosing which path to follow," he added of the court's decision to reject a challenge to the law.

In his opinion, Justice Kennedy wrote that nothing in the US constitution nor case law provided the court the authority to undermine the state's election results on the matter.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor - joined in the dissent by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg - read her opinion aloud in the Washington DC courtroom on Tuesday.

"Without checks, democratically approved legislation can oppress minority groups," she said, adding the court's decision trampled on the rights of such groups.

Justice Elena Kagan withdrew from the case. She worked on it in her previous role as a lawyer in the US justice department.