WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Supreme Court ruled that colleges and universities must stop considering race in their admissions process. The ruling has now put an end to affirmative action in higher education.
“I strongly, strongly disagree with the Court’s decision,” said President Joe Biden. He slams the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action.
“I believe our colleges are stronger when they are racially diverse,” said Biden. “Our nation is stronger because we are tapping into the full range of talent in this nation.”
Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the Court’s 6 to 3 majority opinion, said the University of North Carolina and Harvard’s race-conscious admissions programs violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Lawsuits against these schools alleged the policies they used discriminated against white and Asian American applicants.
Writing for the dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor writes in part: “today the court stands in the way and rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress”.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, also writing a dissent, writes in part: “with let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.”
Congressional members also speaking out. Republican Representative Nick Langworthy (R- NY) Tweeted in part: “the Court’s decision affirms the core American value that no one should be discriminated against based on race.”
Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D- NY) said in part: “this misguided ruling will deeply harm efforts to increase diversity in our schools and to create a more equal society- going forward, students of color will face greater obstacles in pursuing higher education and the opportunities that come with it.”
The President is now calling on universities when selecting among qualified applicants, to give serious consideration to the adversities students have overcome like their financial means, where they grew up and personal experiences of hardship or discrimination.
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