The U.S. Supreme Court recently prohibited using race and ethnicity as determining factors in university admissions.
As per an AFP report, the move has sent shockwaves through the higher education landscape. The decision dismantled long-standing precedents that provided educational opportunities for African-Americans and other minorities.
Chief Justice John Roberts, penning the opinion for the conservative majority, opined that the admission programs of Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the Equal Protection Clause as they lacked “measurable” objectives to justify the use of race.
The Implications of the Ruling
In a bold display of its readiness to overturn liberal policies established since the 1960s, the conservative-majority Supreme Court upheld this landmark ruling. Affirmative action, originally enacted with benevolent intentions to promote diversity, has now faced a resounding blow, with critics arguing that its continued implementation would lead to unconstitutional discrimination. However, the court clarified that universities are still free to consider applicants’ backgrounds and experiences while evaluating their applications.
Varied Reactions to the Ruling
While conservatives are hailing the ruling as a victory for fairness in the admissions process, progressives have lamented the decision as a massive setback. Notably, an activist group, Students for Fair Admissions, filed the lawsuit leading to the ruling against elite Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.
The group claimed that race-conscious admissions policies discriminated against equally or better-qualified Asian Americans vying for admissions to these institutions. Critics of the ruling, however, argue that disregarding race does not create equality in an inherently racially unequal society.
