Harvard Admissions Suit Fuels Effort to Rein in Alumni Legacies

Longtime opponents of legacy college admissions that give preference to the children of alumni say they may have their best shot in almost 15 years to push Congress to act on the issue.Congress, as in 2004, is looking to update the Higher Education Act, which underpins most federal government dealings with colleges. At the same time, a high-profile affirmative action lawsuit—this time involving Harvard instead ofthe University of Michigan—is winding its way through the judicial system. Additionally, populist anger at economic inequality, which critics see as fostered by things like legacy admissions, is fueling some Democrats’ drive for changes.