This article looks at the political dynamics of affirmative action policy since its inception m the 1960s We suggest that while key variables created a relatively favorable climate for affirmative action m the first two decades or so of its existence, recent developments suggest that race-conscious programs will be substantially limited in the future, although not eliminated m their entirety. We contend that a changing judiciary, Republican control of Congress, and shifts m public opinion, as manifested in Proposition 209 m California, interact in ways that will make many compensatory programs difficult to maintain.