The author reports on the U.S. Supreme Court hearing regarding the Texas admissions case that exposes gaps in the affirmative-action law. As the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging race-conscious admissions at the University of Texas at Austin, it became evident that the court's past rulings on such policies have failed to provide colleges--or even the justices themselves--with clear guidance. In the closely watched Texas admissions case, questions arose over terms like "critical mass" and how much racial and ethnic diversity colleges need. The term "critical mass" leads colleges to focus on enrolling enough minority students to meet some numerical threshold, an approach that puts them in danger of violating the court's ban on their use of quotas. The court is expected to decide the case in 2013.