In Gratz, LDF served as lead counsel for Black and Latino students who intervened to defend the constitutionality of Michigan’s admissions program, along with the ACLU, the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and a Michigan-based organization called Citizens for Affirmative Action’s Preservation. In Grutter, LDF filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Law School, along with civil rights organizations, universities, Fortune 500 companies, United States military leaders, and other interested parties who weighed in to support the University of Michigan and to support affirmative action in general. John Payton, LDF’s sixth Director-Counsel, argued on behalf of the University of Michigan before the Supreme Court in Gratz.