CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Edward Geddes already had spent two long days on the mountain when the weather turned. Battered by wind and soaked by rain — "like shower baths of ice water" — he clung to a rope and pressed on, even after the rain turned to ice that coated his clothing and left two of his fingers crooked for the rest of his life.

By Joan Biskupic WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thirty-five years after the Supreme Court set the terms for boosting college admissions of African Americans and other minorities, the court may be about to issue a ruling that could restrict universities' use of race in deciding who is awarded places. The case before the justices was brought by Abigail Fisher, a white suburban Houston student who asserted she was wrongly rejected by the University of Texas at Austin while minority students with similar grades and test scores were admitted. ...