Harvard stands accused of illegal discrimination against Asian Americans — an overrepresented minority. About a fifth of Harvard students are Asian, far outstripping Asians’ percentage of the overall population. But if the slots were given out solely on the basis of academic credentials, the number would be even higher.

This lawsuit, and several others like it, faces a long road ahead. First, judges will decide whether colleges are breaking the law as interpreted in a series of highly confusing previous Supreme Court decisions. Then, the Supreme Court itself may have an opportunity to revisit those rulings with a conservative majority. And

…