IntroductionPresident John F. Kennedy introduced affirmative action programs in the United States in the early 1960s in an effort to redress the history of systemic racial discrimination in the country (Massey, 2004). . As a global leader, the United States has significant influence on this issue, with numerous cases brought to court over the past decades. The original goal of affirmative action programs was to pressure institutions to comply with the equal rights mandate set forth in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Massey, 2004). Since then, the issue has become a contemporary popular debate, questioning the morality, legality, and constitutional legitimacy of these programs, particularly as they relate to college admissions. The main question I will address in this article is: Are affirmative action programs fair? Furthermore, how do different theories of justice defend the necessity and legitimacy of such programs? With differing views on justice and morality, theories of distributive and procedural justice perceive and enable the implementation of affirmative action programs in different ways. Throughout this article, I will explore distributive justice and procedural justice, comparing their respective theories and noting my opinion throughout. I will argue in this essay that, although I interpret both conceptions of justice as supporting affirmative action policies to some extent, Rawls's theory of justice tends to better support the need for these programs while still maintaining and increasing the value of liberal principles. First, I will briefly discuss distributive and procedural justice. I will then introduce the theories presented by John Rawls in A Theory of Justice (1971) and Robert Nozick's response through Anarchy, the State and...... middle of article..... .ut Affirmative Action: Arguments Supporting Preferential Policies. Review of Political Research, 21(6), 783-797. Nozick, R. (1973). Distributive justice. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 345-126.Onwuachi-Willig, A. (2013). “I wish I was black” and other stories of privilege. Chronicle of Higher Education, 60(9), B20-B21.Quong, J. 2011. Liberalism without perfection. Oxford University Press. Rawls, J. 1999a. A theory of justice. Revised edition. Harvard University Press. Schumaker, P. and Kelly, M. (1999). Affirmative action, principles of justice and the evolution of urban theory. Urban Affairs Review, 34(5), 619-640. Smith, A. (2013). Tailor-made affirmative action authorized in higher education. HR Magazine,58(8), 8.Taylor, RS (2009). Rawlsian positive action. Ethics, 119(3), 476-506. Wells, AR (1987). Action on affirmative action. Education Canada, 2730-35.