In the U.S., affirmative action allows those who are targets of societal discrimination, such as minorities and women, to bypass the effects of discrimination and be allowed positions in education and employment. It was originally put into effect by federal agencies that enforced the Civil Rights Act of 1964 along with two executive orders, providing that government contractors and educational institutions would develop affirmative action programs as long as they received funding. The act that set up commissions to enforce such plans was known as the Equal Employment Opportunities Act, which was developed in 1972. These acts caused what people considered “reverse discrimination.” At first, the Supreme Courts accepted these arguments, but it did however let the programs continue in the long run in voluntary affirmative action programs (unions and private businesses, for example; without federal gov’t involvement). In 1991, the Civil Rights Act was revamped to reaffirm the national government’s place in affirmative action, however the Supreme Court put limits on the act, such as limits on the use of race in awarding government contracts. Such affected government programs later updated themselves to include anyone considered “socially disadvantaged.” Later in 2003, the Supreme Court decided that educational institutions could “consider race as a factor in admitting students as long as it was not used in a mechanical, formulaic manner” (Columbia University).