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As the challenge against Harvard’s admissions practices enters its final week of trial, a federal judge who has heard from education and data experts will now listen to testimony from current and former students attesting to the benefits of a racially diverse campus.

US District Court Judge Allison Burroughs observed in her order that allowing outside testimony from students, represented by major civil rights organizations, would offer “valuable perspectives that will otherwise be absent from the trial.” The challenge to Harvard was brought by a group known as Students for Fair Admissions, formed by a longtime opponent of racial affirmative action, that contends Harvard engages in unlawful “racial balancing” in a screening process that benefits black and Latinos applicants at the expense of Asian-Americans.

When President Donald Trump nominated Michael Park to a seat on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month, the announcement was low-key. It noted his work as a part-time law professor and stated simply, “He represents clients in litigation in a wide array of subject areas, including securities, criminal, commercial, administrative, and constitutional law.”

The announcement was deceptive: Park is hardly a generic New York securities lawyer. He is currently involved in one of the most high-profile and controversial lawsuits ever designed to end affirmative action in college admissions. The lawsuit, against Harvard University, alleges that the school discriminates against Asian American applicants. The trial in the case got underway last week. Civil rights activists say that if successful, the suit could result in a steep plunge in the number of black and Latino students admitted to the exclusive university.