A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit challenging California’s voter-approved ban on affirmative action in public university admissions

U.S. District Court Judge Samuel Conti ruled against the challenge to Proposition 209, which banned the consideration of race and ethnicity in public education, employment and contracting. The lawsuit was filed by several pro-affirmative action groups who argued that the law violated the civil rights of black, Latino and Native American students who feel that they are underrepresented at the state’s most prestigious campuses. The ruling follows a similar decision in August 2010 by the California Supreme Court which also upheld the 14-year-old law.